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I've had a casual relationship with functional languages for a while now. I've decided to really get into one and chose F# as there is a possibility of using it

by city41 16y ago

I've had a casual relationship with functional languages for a while now. I've decided to really get into one and chose F# as there is a possibility of using it on the job. For the functional gurus, should I ignore that benefit and go to what seems to be the holy grail of functional languages, Haskell?

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
dons 16y ago
You work in a .NET environment, or have Windows lock-in? Otherwise, why not use Haskell on the job, like others do: http://haskell.org/haskellwiki/Haskell_in_industry http://haskell.org/haskellwiki/Haskell_in_industry
- city41 16y ago
  I work in a .NET environment. I am learning F# in my spare time with hopes of being able to write part of the app in F#. It may not be an entirely realistic hope, but at least that hope is there with F#.
intoverfl0w 16y ago
If you work in a .Net environment and want to explore the possibility of using functional programming on the job, F# is definitely a natural way to go. Depending on how much autonomy you have at work, Haskell is a reasonable language for getting "real work" done. The technology is ready to do the job: as with any language selection discussion, the issue is more about workplace culture (maintenance plans, hiring, etc). In terms of advanced types, my understanding is that F# is playing catch-up to Haskell, but that's not really a slight against F#. I happen to prefer Haskell, but it's not obvious to me that a person who knows both languages would agree with me. So the answer your question, or more precisely to not answer it, I think you'll find either language rewarding. If you think F# might be more useful at work, that's definitely worth considering. If you want to see the state of the art in (well supported) statically typed functional programming, Haskell is a strong contender. Regardless of which you decide to look at, the skills will translate fairly well if you later go to look at the other.

by city41 16y ago

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

dons 16y ago

You work in a .NET environment, or have Windows lock-in? Otherwise, why not use Haskell on the job, like others do: http://haskell.org/haskellwiki/Haskell_in_industry http://haskell.org/haskellwiki/Haskell_in_industry

city41 16y ago
I work in a .NET environment. I am learning F# in my spare time with hopes of being able to write part of the app in F#. It may not be an entirely realistic hope, but at least that hope is there with F#.

intoverfl0w 16y ago

If you work in a .Net environment and want to explore the possibility of using functional programming on the job, F# is definitely a natural way to go. Depending on how much autonomy you have at work, Haskell is a reasonable language for getting "real work" done. The technology is ready to do the job: as with any language selection discussion, the issue is more about workplace culture (maintenance plans, hiring, etc). In terms of advanced types, my understanding is that F# is playing catch-up to Haskell, but that's not really a slight against F#. I happen to prefer Haskell, but it's not obvious to me that a person who knows both languages would agree with me. So the answer your question, or more precisely to not answer it, I think you'll find either language rewarding. If you think F# might be more useful at work, that's definitely worth considering. If you want to see the state of the art in (well supported) statically typed functional programming, Haskell is a strong contender. Regardless of which you decide to look at, the skills will translate fairly well if you later go to look at the other.