Admitting that functional programming can be awkward

I cannot cite the article, because I read it a long time go, but the author made a point which immediately reflected my experiences with pure FP:

FP is all about the glue.

What I think will be interesting is using FP (or at least FP style) to glue together solutions to problem which are best expressed using non-pure methods. I think about that whenever I use Monads in Haskell, though they're still awkward.

I think FP will teach programmers the potential advantages of making things pure, perhaps even at great effort. It's not always what we're after, but when you can manage that level of simplicity, FP is exploring what kinds of payoff you can make.

I certainly find it awkward, perhaps because it requires more upfront design.