Grokking Simplicity
by Eric Normand · first published 2021
93% recommend7% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Intro to functional thinking that sorts code into data, computations, and side effects, with concrete advice on immutability and functional core design. JavaScript examples suit TypeScript and OOP developers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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My gateway drug was Grokking Simplicity by Eric Normand. I'd love to know where to go next. A little bit about myself: - 5 years of OOP in TypeScript - Enjoyed React's shift towards functional paradigm - Enjoyed RxJS - Looked into Haskell…
on “Ask HN: Learning Functional Programming in 2022?” ↗…thinking without going off the deep end. 1. Boundaries by Gary Bernhardt - https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/talks/boundaries 2. Pits of Success by Mark Seemann - https://youtu.be/US8QG9I1XW0 3. Grokking Simplicity by Eric Normand - https://grokkingsimplicity.com/
on “Software engineering topics I changed my mind on” ↗I also recommend the book "Grokking Simplicity" by Eric Normand for a longer exploration of functional software design (not Clojure-specific). The linked blog post uses Clojure examples, but this approach to software design is universally applicable…
on “Abstract Clojure” ↗This reminds me a bit of some of the ideas that Eric Normand presents in his book, Grokking Simplicity. Which I'd highly recommend. It's aimed at a less experienced audience, so, as someone who's mid-career, I admit I did skim some sections. But, all-in-all, I enjoyed reading his take on how things should…
on “Principles of Data Oriented Programming” ↗…edition of Clean Code written specifically for FP I’ve posted links to this work-in-progress book a few times in the past, but I’m going to do it again because I think it fits the description perfectly. Grokking Simplicity by Eric Normand [0] is a great book for introducing the premise behind FP in a pragmatic fashion. It doesn’t get bogged down in monads and type theory, just the benefits of pure functions and modeling…
on “Motivation – Keli Language” ↗Eric Normand - Grokking Simplicity: Taming complex software with functional thinking I also bought the Scott Wlaschin book, but I must say I like Eric Normand's book a little bit better. Since the examples are also in JavaScript (but…
on “Ask HN: Best books on managing software complexity?” ↗…Patterns, Principles, and Practises of Domain Driven Design -- Robert L. Glass, Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering -- Donald Reinertsen, The Principles of Product development Flow -- Eric Normand, Grokking Simplicity
on “Ask HN: Best books on managing software complexity?” ↗Check out this book Grokking Simplicity Taming complex software with functional thinking by Eric Normand
on “How to learn hard things in tech” ↗…this data, together building to larger wholes. You do need a language with types and first-class functions, and the most common vehicle for that currently is TypeScript. Combine that with a book like Grokking Simplicity by Eric Normand, especially the fundamental idea of separating data, computation, and action, and you have a software system that is supple, simple, and amenable to continuous growth and refactoring over…
on “Late Architecture with Functional Programming” ↗Yea agree. I feel one of the best books ive read that makes this concrete is Grokking Simplicity by Eric Normand. It’s less about functional programming and more about functional thinking. Lots of concrete great advice in that book.
on “Beyond Clean Code” ↗> Does anyone have any good resources on how to get better at doing "functional core imperative shell" style design? I can recommend Grokking Simplicity by Eric Normand. https://www.manning.com/books/grokking-simplicity
on “The Compiler Is Your Best Friend, Stop Lying to It” ↗Grokking Simplicity: Taming complex software with functional thinking I’m cheating a bit because this is only under 200 pages because it’s a work in progress. It’s such an easy read, but does a great job at explaining…
on “Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?” ↗I’ve found Grokking Simplicity [0] to be a great, pragmatic introduction to solving real-world problems with “functional thinking”. All the code is JavaScript and it tries to walk you through how you might solve common, everyday business…
on “Learn Functional Programming Visually” ↗I’ve been liking Grokking Simplicity so far. It starts out by separating code into three parts: data, computations, side-effects. You want to minimize side-effects, preferring computations over them, and data over computations. I’m still…
on “Ask HN: Best books on managing software complexity?” ↗I find this talk inspiring. Underscore.js got many things wrong for FP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3svKOdZijA. I've read Grokking Simplicity too. It's very approachable book. Highly recommend it for JS/TS developers who want to learn FP!
on “Ask HN: Learning Functional Programming in 2022?” ↗