By, Arne Brasseur
Ruby isn't exactly know for being a functional programming language, but neither is it known for not being a functional programming language. With lambdas, blocks, and Matz himself citing LISP as a major influence, there is very little stopping us from writing code in a functional style.

We'll cut straight through the smugness and jargon that typefies functional programming literature, and go straight to the essence. What does it mean to program "functionally", and what does it buy us. What patterns and techniques can we incorporate to write more flexible, maintainable code, and what are the caveats Rubyists specifically need to look out for.