The Promises of Functional Programming

Like we have previously discussed the IT field evolves rapidly, and as it does, so does the way to write software evolves with it. While this is true, it is also true that the way software is made has the same bases as it did at the beginning. The software modifies the data in the computer’s internal memory, and by using basic mathematical operations, it reaches the result specified by the orders given to the computer and writes it in a memory cell. This is a case of “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” so the way it works is not given much thought.

Even if the traditional method is the best know, that doesn’t mean it’s the only one, functional programing is a different approach to this. And even if this method has been researched for a long time, it is barely beginning to be used in real life program applications. One example many people are familiar with would be Mathematica, which uses functional programing, even if its not used for very complex programs. Clojure is used as another example for functional programing, explaining how it is that in Clojure you can return a function as a desired result from another function without problems, something that is very useful in things like recursion and loops

In terms of concurrency and parallel processing, functional programing is very useful, since it lacks variable, it makes the data dependencies explicit. Learning clojure in class has given us a different view on everyday programing, showing us that the way we are used to doing something is not always the only way, and sometimes no even the best way to solve a problem, and that we can be more efficient and make better programs if we use functional programing when we need to.