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Comment by yakshaving_jgt | Hacker News Reader

I just use the simplest and most boring things that work.

Most of my software is written in Haskell, with the Yesod framework handling all the HTTP stuff. Data is mostly persisted in PostgreSQL, with some caching and queueing stuff done in Redis. I try to avoid JavaScript if I can help it. When I do need a richer UI, I'll add small bits of plain JavaScript, sometimes with jQuery. When I need a more complex UI, I use Elm. Everything runs on NixOS machines on AWS.

Not wrestling with constant runtime errors and not being afraid to make broad sweeping changes means I can adapt the software to the business more quickly.

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> I just use the simplest and most boring things that work. Most of my software is written in Haskell…

As simple as possible, but not simpler!

Haskell is not boring.

The way I use it is really rather boring.

I liked Ruby on Rails, but I didn't like the magic, nor did I like the runtime errors.

That's basically how I use Haskell/Yesod. A better Ruby/Rails.

You certainly can do very interesting things with Haskell, but nothing compels you to. Writing boring software in a boring way with Haskell is totally fine, and works well for my businesses.

I'll clarify though that I'm not suggesting I do OOP in Haskell, if anyone reads that into what I wrote.

The post is tongue in cheek. Haskell for backend and NixOS for deployment ... a rather exotic setup even by HN standards.

I don't see it that way.

I don't think relative obscurity makes the technology itself exciting. I certainly didn't choose these technologies to be different, or to be fashionable. If I wanted to play with shiny toys, there are so many others to choose from. The shiny toys don't really appeal to me. I have businesses to run, and the technologies I chose are from a position of total pragmatism.

I sincerely believe it's easier to use Haskell and NixOS for applications of beyond trivial scale than, say, Ruby and Ansible. And I say that from experience.

Could you point me towards some resources to get started with this stack? I'm in the process of going full functional.

Here you go: https://www.yesodweb.com/page/quickstart

There's also the Yesod Book which is available to read for free on the same website.

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