F# depends on the .NET runtime for everything it does. Yes, you could write trivial programs in F# without delving far into .NET and its standard library. No, y

F# depends on the .NET runtime for everything it does. Yes, you could write trivial programs in F# without delving far into .NET and its standard library. No, you can't go far beyond that without knowing stdlib APIs and using Microsoft's (or Mono's) implementations of said APIs. This isn't a bad thing: knowing the runtime well is a very marketable skill, and helps you write better software anyway. See it as an opportunity rather than a liability.