[erlang-questions] Learning from Open Source projects?

[Jesper Louis Andersen]

On Thu, Mar 26, 2015 at 7:45 AM, Leandro Ostera <me@REDACTED> wrote:

> What I did was start a project that I'd already know how
> to build with another set of technologies (think RESTlike
> API on Express/Rails/Flask) and then look for a way to
> build it with Erlang. Think "backend for To-do app" in Erlang.
>

I agree with this. When learning a new technology, try to retain as much
knowledge you have from other technologies, so you don't need a grand leap
of faith or a hail-mary pass.

Erlang often challenges newcomers in several ways:

* functional programming in a mostly-pure environment
* distributed computing
* concurrency
* error handling through asynchronous monitors/links
* language syntax and semantics
* how to build large erlang systems: module composition, releases,
configuration, deployment
* how to test Erlang programs which have the above distribution/concurrency
traits
* learning the performance model of Erlang: what is fast, what is slow
* all of the OTP stack, its idioms, design choices and how it influences
program architecture

If most of these are new to you, then you don't want to throw in a
complicated problem you don't know as well. At least not until you have
some proficiency in the above.


-- 
J.
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