Learn You a Haskell for Great Good!: A Beginner's Guide

We all know that since Oracle  took over Sun, things have not been the same in the Java world - the JCP has effectively lost its mojo, companies that once relied on Java are having to consider other languages that are not tied to one company. In fact, the future of Java is not as rock solid as it used to be, say a couple of years back. What a shame!

I have been developing in Java for well over 9 years, but since the last two, my attention has moved to Python and Ruby...mainly because I thought it was important to keep learning and updating my programming skills.

One thing in the software industry is that if you do not update your skills with latest languages and technologies, you can quickly find yourself rotting in away with just one or two programming skills under your belt. You need to continually learning - your employers will NEVER push you to update your skill. And how better to do it than to see what others are using and try to update as well.

One of the languages outside Python, Ruby, Scala and C# that you might want to look at is Haskell.

There's a new book on Haskell that just hit the shelves, and it covers everything you'll need to start using it in anger. Being the Programming language nerd that I am, I have bought the book after spending weeks on the online version. I love the feel of the real book, flipping through pages, making notes and generally picking a chapter to focus on.

This Learn You a Haskell for Great Good! is written in a way that is very simple for even a beginner to pick up quite fast. Once you've covered the book, you can move to more advanced topics such as the Real World Heskell by Bryan O'Sullivan, John Goerzen and Don Stewart.

If you have been seriously thinking of updating your programming skills and you like the challenge of not waiting for someone to give you a push, well, now looks like a great way to start. Get yourself a copy of This Learn You a Haskell for Great Good!: A Beginner's Guide! and start today.