To grow the overall Haskell user base a common suggestion was to clearly answer the question “Why should i choose Haskell (over all the other programming languages i could use)?”
See e.g. @sinicholls post @ktf post, @jazzlobster post, many thanks for your input.)
To me this looks like an important low-hanging fruit to fix on the https://haskell.org landing page.
I suggest to focus on the business/developer benefits in headlines and descriptions, and to reduce technical jargon such that decision makers and developers from other programming languages understand the points easily. Specifically,
- change subheadline from “An advanced, purely functional programming language” to “Write next-generation reliable, maintainable and efficient software on solid foundations” or similar.
Rewrite “Features” section or add a “Benefits” sections above with:
- “Rapid prototyping: Try out new ideas, write less code and get to market quickly. Haskell’s foundations enables one of the best code-reuse with solid libraries. Don’t like writing types? One of the best-in-class compilers like GHC will figure out most types for you. With Haskell you write less code, so less code to maintain.” (Appeal to Startups and new projects within existing companies)
- "Scale with ease: From 1 to 100k users and more. Haskell is used by startups and large corporations, because it’s one of the best and easiest programming languages for high-performance multi-core processors with convenience and efficiency. It’s focus on purity, that no other mainstream language supports, enables one of the best-in-class async and parallel programming experiences. (Appeal to use in modern ever more powerful environments and other companies)
- “Maintain with confidence: Add new and ever more complex features, or refactor your whole code base with minimal costs. Haskell saves money on maintenance by having one of the strongest type systems on the market to prevent mistakes before they reach production, even before writing tests. “If it compiles, it works” – a Haskell proverb.” (Appeal to long-term success, money and ever increasing software complexity)
- “Holistic: Everything you need at your fingertips. Get all your tools quickly with GHCup
or Nix. Use your favorite code editor like VSCode, start an interactive environment in the GHCi to explore libraries and ideas, and build on top of the shoulders of a large library ecosystem with the package manager Cabal.” (Introduce key names of tools) - “Cutting edge: Haskell is a vehicle for programming language research and innovation. Peek into the latest, upcoming language features of the market, which often enter the mainstream much later. Try out next-generation ideas like Effect Systems, Linear Types, Dependent Types (soon) etc. to make your code even more reliable if you need it and can tolerate risk, or stay with safe current best practices.”
What do you think? How would you formulate it and what else would you improve?