My reasons to love F#

F# is presented as a cross-platform, open source language that runs on Windows, Linux, and OS-X, and can be used for mobile, enterprise, web, cloud, and scripting work. The page also highlights F# Interactive for exploratory programming and the language’s functional style for computational tasks, data work, and machine learning.

It says F# helps with immutability, clarity, prototyping, and productivity through higher-order functions, pattern matching, strong typing, type inference, and type providers. It also points to distributed and concurrent programming, a tidy indentation-based syntax, an active community, and many learning resources.

Reading notes

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• Runs on Windows, Linux, and OS-X, and can be used for mobile platforms, enterprise solutions, web applications, services, custom scripts, and cloud programming.
• The source is open and on GitHub, and ideas for the language are welcome.
• F# Interactive and .fsx scripts support exploratory programming with immediate feedback.
• Its functional style is presented as useful for data science, big data, machine learning, and other computational tasks.
• Functions are described as similar to mathematical functions, which makes computational code cleaner and more readable.
• Immutability is linked to functions that can be described by their input and return value, with results that are likely to stay correct over time.
• Functional style supports simple, repeatable actions, function composition, and small pieces that are easier to understand and less error-prone.
• F# is said to help with prototyping, modeling, DSLs, business logic maintenance, and productivity.
• Higher-order functions, pattern matching, strong typing, type inference, and type providers are presented as features that improve productivity and data handling.
• Distributed programming is easier because functions can be combined and applied locally or remotely, and immutable data structures avoid data race conditions.
• Concurrent programming is described as easier because functions avoid side effects and mutable variables.
• The syntax is described as neat, with indentation instead of braces and semicolons.
• The community is described as open, friendly, and active, with help available through Stack Overflow, Twitter, fsharp.org, and the F# Board.
• The page also mentions books, papers, articles, blog posts, feeds, courses, and video tutorials as resources for beginners.