You've heard the arguments in favor of functional languages: they make parallel computation easier, help you reason about your program, let you do more with fewer lines of code, etc. But what about the code? To many it's cryptic, arcane, mind boggling -- and the syntax, dating back in some cases 40 years, can be downright hideous! Can the value of using functional languages make up for the pain associated with them? In this talk, Garrett will make the case that, when done right, functional programs are stunningly beautiful. And not to mathematicians and logicians -- to normal folk. To the artist, the poet -- to the software craftsman that lives in all of us! Using the impossibly dated syntax of Erlang, Garrett will dive into writing beautiful functional code. He'll cover these topics: - API design in a functional language, - Function and variable names, - Proper use of case and if expressions, - Managing complex data structures, - Code refactoring, - Common functional patterns. While examples are in Erlang, the lessons of this talk can be applied to other functional languages. If you're new to functional programming, or a seasoned expert, you will see a side of functional programming that is rarely talked about. You'll learn the fundamentals of functional programming in a novel way -- a method that focuses meticulously on clarity, readability, maintainability -- in short, the beauty of functional programming.