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F# (Ocaml) looks like a killer language on paper. Opinions?

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urlwolf:
I've looking at Ocaml since a friend told me that the programming languages I use (ruby and R) are girly :). I of coruse asked "So what's not girly then for you? :) ... he was an Ocaml user. and I can see why he said that:


* Strong typing

* Types are inferred

* Functional, but OO possible

* Great compiler: Faster than C++

* debugger can go back in time
And if Microsoft has copied it for their future language, there must be something to it (F# is Ocaml syntax):

http://spotless-spots.blogspot.com/2008/11/why-i-like-f.html

The main advantage of using F# is visual studio, and the graphics libs/windows integration if that suits you.

Functional languages are associated with 'academic' and 'not practical'. This is mostly because other programming languages come with the kitchen sink (libraries for everything), and most functional languages don't. But this is changing. There is  "Ocaml batteries included":
http://dutherenverseauborddelatable.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/ocaml-batteries-included-alpha-2-has-landed/
http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/7c1gg/a_taste_of_ocaml_batteries_included/

So I'm just poking around. Threre's a free book (in beta), and Steve Yegge loved the language for a while (he then repented).

Textbook:
http://files.metaprl.org/doc/ocaml-book.pdf

Yegge:
http://steve.yegge.googlepages.com/more-ocaml

Here's some more cool things you can do with it:
http://camltastic.blogspot.com/2008/09/what-can-ocaml-do-that-you-cant-do-in.html

What do you think? Anyone has any experience? Anyone feeling like jumping in?

housetier:
mldonkey is written in ocaml, it is a P2P program that supports several P2P protocols. I used to use it a few years back because it was very light-weight. Maybe it can serve as an example what is possible with ocaml.

urlwolf:
also, unison (file synch) is written in ocaml.

housetier:
oh I didnt know that. nice to know, I use unison every once in a while

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