This week Matt Podwysocki puts the fun in functional programming with a deep dive into F#. We’ve heard plenty of high level discussions of F# and functional programming lately, so we tried to dig into the gory details as much as possible:
- What is functional programming, and why should we care?
- Types of applications that would and wouldn’t benefit from F#
- How F# differs from C# 3.x and Javascript
- How F# is being used (games, scripting, data analysis and scrubbing, etc.)
- F# pattern matching
- Using F# in your C# or VB based applications today
- Getting started: F# Interactive, reading the F# source, books and resources
- Interaction with DLR
- Functional features we’d like to see in C# and VB
- Spec# and Sing#
Links:
- Matt Podwysocki’s blog
- hubFS
- Download the Microsoft F#, September 2008 Community Technology Preview
- F# Developer Center
- Dryad
- Spec#
- Singularity (Sing#)
Download / Listen
Herding Code 18: Matthew Podwysocki on F# and Functional Programming
[audio: //herdingcode.com/wp-content/uploads/HerdingCode-0018-Matthew-Podwysocki-on-F-Sharp-and-Functional-Programming.mp3]
Additional F# References:
Books:
-
Expert F# – Don Syme – http://www.amazon.com/Expert-F-Experts-Voice-Net/dp/1590598504/
-
Foundations of F# – Robert Pickering – http://www.amazon.com/Foundations-F-Experts-Voice-Net/dp/1590597575/
-
F# for Scientists – Dr. Jon Harrop – http://www.amazon.com/F-Scientists-Jon-Harrop/dp/0470242116/
Blogs:
- Don Syme – http://blogs.msdn.com/dsyme/default.aspx
- Chris Smith (F# Tester) – http://blogs.msdn.com/chrsmith/default.aspx
- Brian McNamara (F# Dev) – http://lorgonblog.spaces.live.com/
- Jomo Fisher (F# Dev) – http://blogs.msdn.com/jomo_fisher/default.aspx
- Andrew Kennedy (MSR) – http://blogs.msdn.com/andrewkennedy/default.aspx
- Luca Bolognese (Managed Languages Principal PM) – http://blogs.msdn.com/lucabol/default.aspx
Podcasts/Videos
- Dryad on .NET Rocks – http://www.dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showNum=378
- Simon Peyton-Jones on Functional Programming and Haskell – http://se-radio.net/podcast/2008-08/episode-108-simon-peyton-jones-functional-programming-and-haskell
F# Examples
-
Any Colony Simulation – http://www.strangelights.com/blog/archive/2008/05/04/1613.aspx
-
FsTest – http://www.codeplex.com/FsTest