Topics › Software Engineering & Languages

The best functional programming videos, according to Hacker News

225 videos about functional programming that Hacker News commenters keep pointing each other to, ranked by how many separate months they were recommended. Part of Software Engineering & Languages.

"Simple Made Easy" - Rich Hickey (2011)

Strange Loop Conference

219K views · 2021 · 14 HN recs

HN treats it as the canonical talk on software complexity, shared constantly and recommended to every programmer regardless of language.

Maybe Not - Rich Hickey

ClojureTV

181K views · 2018 · 14 HN recs

HN commenters send people to it whenever nulls, Maybe/Option or static typing come up, as a thoughtful dissent from the type-system orthodoxy that changes how some people model data.

Conway's Game Of Life in APL

Dyalog

235K views · 2009 · 11 HN recs

Recommended whenever APL or array languages come up as the quickest way to see why the paradigm is so striking.

Brian Beckman: Don't fear the Monad

jasonofthel33t

415K views · 2012 · 9 HN recs

HN repeatedly recommends it as the clearest and most correct beginner explanation of monads, with several commenters saying it finally made them click.

"Simple Made Easy" - Rich Hickey (2011)

ClojureTV

434K views · 2021 · 9 HN recs

It is one of HN's most frequently recommended programming talks, cited whenever people debate complexity, simplicity and abstraction, and valued well beyond Clojure.

Invited Talk - Guy Steele

ClojureTV

38K views · 2017 · 7 HN recs

HN commenters recommend it whenever someone asks how to read type-system or CS notation in papers.

Julia: to Lisp or not to Lisp?

European Lisp Symposium

23K views · 2016 · 4 HN recs

HN commenters recommend it as a brilliant talk on Julia's design and how it is or isn't a Lisp.

"The Mess We're In" by Joe Armstrong

Strange Loop Conference

397K views · 2014 · 10 HN recs

HN returns to it constantly as a witty, still-accurate diagnosis of why software is bloated and messy, and as a go-to recommendation in any thread on modules, package managers or software quality.

Emacs Rocks! Episode 14: Paredit

emacsrocks

65K views · 2013 · 8 HN recs

Repeatedly offered as the quickest, most convincing demo of structured editing and why Lisp programmers love paredit.

"Production Prolog" by Michael Hendricks

Strange Loop Conference

57K views · 2014 · 6 HN recs

It is the go-to answer to whether Prolog is used for real-world work, praised as a survey of its uses, advantages and drawbacks.

"Transducers" by Rich Hickey

Strange Loop Conference

115K views · 2014 · 6 HN recs

HN treats it as the original and definitive explanation of transducers, recommended whenever the concept comes up.

A Sudoku Solver in APL

Dyalog

47K views · 2012 · 4 HN recs

Strongly recommended as a beautiful demonstration that APL can be read and reasoned about step by step.

Simplicity Ain't Easy - Stuart Halloway

ClojureTV

23K views · 2012 · 5 HN recs

HN commenters recommend it, alongside Rich Hickey's talk, for its precise definition of simple versus easy and its implications for code design.

Clojure Concurrency - Rich Hickey

ClojureTV

72K views · 2012 · 5 HN recs

Seen as the definitive explanation of why traditional concurrency is hard and how Clojure's model addresses it, with some commenters crediting it with changing their careers.

GigCityElixir23 - Bryan Hunter

Groxio

10K views · 2023 · 4 HN recs

HN recommends it as a rare real-world look at a large fault-tolerant Erlang/Elixir system with no downtime in healthcare.

Are We There Yet - Rich Hickey

Zhang Jian

24K views · 2019 · 4 HN recs

Recommended as one of the best explanations of why Clojure and a functional, immutable approach to state exist.

clojure.core/typing - Matt Adereth

ClojureTV

39K views · 2015 · 4 HN recs

Recommended as a fantastic talk on code-driven CAD and custom keyboard design, linked in threads on OpenSCAD and keyboards.

John Carmack's keynote at Quakecon 2013 part 4

Kostiantyn Kostin

138K views · 2013 · 5 HN recs

Cited again and again as Carmack's key public statement on functional programming and purity in game development, plus his remarks on garbage collection.

Rich Hickey: Deconstructing the Database

InfoQ

106K views · 2012 · 4 HN recs

HN points people to it as the clearest account of why Datomic is designed the way it is and of the problems with conventional database architecture.

Depth-first search in APL

Dyalog

10K views · 2014 · 2 HN recs

HN commenters call it a beautiful, brilliant demonstration of APL's expressiveness and a model of clear narration.

ElixirConf 2018 - Keynote - Chris McCord

ElixirConf

32K views · 2018 · 6 HN recs

HN recommends it as the original LiveView announcement and demo, a compelling argument for server-side rendering as an alternative to JavaScript front ends.

Erlang: The Movie

uncertainyesterday

174K views · 2012 · 4 HN recs

A beloved classic that HN recommends as the quickest way to see why Erlang is special.

Literate Programming in the Large

Next Day Video

17K views · 2013 · 3 HN recs

HN recommends it in literate programming threads as a rare look at applying the idea to a huge, complex codebase, though some find it meandering.

Om Next - David Nolen

ClojureTV

44K views · 2015 · 3 HN recs

HN commenters recommend it as the lead ClojureScript developer's own account of Om's evolution, one-way data flow and single-state design.

Practical Common Lisp

Google TechTalks

98K views · 2007 · 3 HN recs

HN remembers it as the memorable explanation of restarts and multiple dispatch, referenced whenever those features come up.

Monad - FunFunFunction #21

Fun Fun Function

127K views · 2016 · 3 HN recs

Recommended to people confused by monads as a friendly, practical explanation for JavaScript developers, with one commenter saying it finally made it click.

Clojure in a nutshell by James Trunk

Func Prog Sweden

103K views · 2020 · 3 HN recs

HN commenters recommend it as a clear, enjoyable introduction to Clojure and a good example of REPL-driven development.

Lenses, Folds, and Traversals

Edward Kmett

54K views · 2012 · 3 HN recs

HN calls it dense but mind-blowing, the go-to way to understand lenses through algebraic derivation.

Solid Ground // Saša Jurić

EMPEX Conference

13K views · 2017 · 3 HN recs

Recommended as the best short overview of why the BEAM and Elixir stand apart from other runtimes.

Erlang: The Movie (Fixed Audio)

CH1LLW4VE

42K views · 2016 · 2 HN recs

HN recommends it as a charming, concise demonstration of what makes Erlang special, from the people who built it.

Which of these have you already seen?

Connect YouTube and HackerTube AI hides what you've watched and ranks the rest for you.

Get Pro for $5