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One of the folks I've chatted with a bunch online and finally got to meet in-person this year was Gershom. Towards the end of the symposium, he mentioned the post I linked to last time about my pulling away from Haskell communities. But the way he phrased it really struck me. And I wanted to comment on that.
I guess the crux of it comes down to, what do we mean when we say "the Haskell community"? What I meant when writing that post over a year ago was the online community of Haskell learners/practitioners (i.e., the folks who dominate spaces like reddit). But what Gershom's comment suggested was the academic community of FP researchers who work on/with Haskell (i.e., the folks who dominate spaces like ICFP). These two communities have always been intertwined, but as Haskell gains popularity they feel more and more distinct.
FWIW, I do still feel welcome as part of the academic community. There are some things I could comment on, sure, but those have more to do (i think) the general issue of being a woman in tech than they do with Haskell per se. Of course, this only underscores the concern of my original post. The free exchange between academics and practitioners was always a big part of what I've loved about the (general) Haskell community. Were not for that exchange, the spark planted by Mark Jones would never have fanned into the flame of my current research. As that free exchange unravels, this pathway from interested novice to researcher is cut off. And that pathway is crucial for the vibrancy of the community, as well as for addressing those general issues of being a minority in tech.
