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I've been slowly migrating from C# to F# for our automation assistant (https://lexico.io https://lexico.io - not yet usable yet but will be soon), and like the

I've been slowly migrating from C# to F# for our automation assistant (https://lexico.io https://lexico.io - not yet usable yet but will be soon), and like the top comment here, my only regret is that I didn't do so sooner. Functional languages allow logic to be expressed so precisely and concisely. I hazard a guess that every F# module is 2/3 the LOC of its C# equivalent, with the added advantage that everything is incorporated into a single file. F# certainly has its quirks (as a language, I think Clojure is actually cleaner - but that comes with the downsides of the JVM and .NET interop is a huge advantage). Part of me doesn't want to spread it around too much, because I feel like I've discovered some hidden edge over my hypothetical competitors.

astine 8y ago
I think Clojure is actually cleaner - but that comes with the downsides of the JVM and .NET interop is a huge advantage There is a dotnet implementation of Clojure if you're interested: https://github.com/clojure/clojure-clr https://github.com/clojure/clojure-clr
- pjmlp 8y ago
  I usually lags behind the official Clojure implementation.
- avinium 8y ago
  Oh wow - wasn't even aware of this. Will check it out :)
clausok 8y ago
I share the same regret. In fact, by far my biggest regret in my career was missing an opportunity in 2008 to switch to F#. The portfolio management team I was with departed a large hedge fund to start our own. I knew I had 8-10 months before we started trading again. It was every programmer's dream: hit the pause button and get a chance to leisurely refactor everything you've never had time for. Even enough time to completely change tool sets. I remember discovering F# during this period and it was as though Don Syme (the F# BDFL) had listened to all my complaints about C# & Matlab and built a language specifically for me. Ultimately, I chickened out. I was afraid Microsoft would eventually Foxpro F#; or I'd hire people who'd tell the CEO of our firm that I was nuts and had built all our systems in an obscure language. By late 2012 the ecosystem had matured tremendously and I finally switched to F#. I really wish I had those four years back. F# would have saved me a ton of while-on-vacation troubleshooting from 2008 to 2012.

astine 8y ago

I think Clojure is actually cleaner - but that comes with the downsides of the JVM and .NET interop is a huge advantage There is a dotnet implementation of Clojure if you're interested: https://github.com/clojure/clojure-clr https://github.com/clojure/clojure-clr

pjmlp 8y ago
I usually lags behind the official Clojure implementation.
avinium 8y ago
Oh wow - wasn't even aware of this. Will check it out :)

clausok 8y ago

I share the same regret. In fact, by far my biggest regret in my career was missing an opportunity in 2008 to switch to F#. The portfolio management team I was with departed a large hedge fund to start our own. I knew I had 8-10 months before we started trading again. It was every programmer's dream: hit the pause button and get a chance to leisurely refactor everything you've never had time for. Even enough time to completely change tool sets. I remember discovering F# during this period and it was as though Don Syme (the F# BDFL) had listened to all my complaints about C# & Matlab and built a language specifically for me. Ultimately, I chickened out. I was afraid Microsoft would eventually Foxpro F#; or I'd hire people who'd tell the CEO of our firm that I was nuts and had built all our systems in an obscure language. By late 2012 the ecosystem had matured tremendously and I finally switched to F#. I really wish I had those four years back. F# would have saved me a ton of while-on-vacation troubleshooting from 2008 to 2012.