• It's the claim...
• It's the claim...
• It's the claim...

How many of the worlds programmers would successfully make the transition from imperative to functional programming?

I'm still a little bit confused. Is someone trying to "convert" to the Haskell religion? Certainly I hope you don't think I am. Who cares how many people can transition from imperative to functional programming? Go with what works for you. I'm quite content that you at least tried something new, even if it didn't work out for you. In my previous postings, I was trying to get across the idea that there's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to programming languages. My personal experience has been that Haskell lets me write easier to understand programs with less fuss and fewer bugs. Other people have had similar experiences. YMMV.

for those parts of Haskell programs that are purely functional

Er, *All* Haskell programs are 100% referentially transparent and purely functional. You can substitute equals for equals anywhere and everywhere. Always. No Exceptions. Anyway, I also meant to link to the Q Lanugage in my previous post. Good luck and best wishes.