Getting sharp with F#

First a tease...

Try F# demonstrates the power of F# to solve real-world analytical programming and information-rich problems by providing a web experience to help you learn the F# language, create programs, and share information—quickly and easily.

You all know how much I like "learning resources." Also you know how much I like highlighting different things, things that help you think a little outside of the normal, day to day grind.

Today's post satisfies both itches...

Try F#—Data Console to Big and Broad Data (Microsoft Research Connections Blog)

Try F# enables users to learn F# through new tutorials that focus on solving real-world problems, including analytical programming quandaries of the sort that are encountered in finance and data science. But Try F# is much more than a set of tutorials. It lets users write code in the browser and share it with others on the web to help grow a community of F# developers.

This latest release of Try F# is an evolution that keeps the tool in synch with the new experiences and information-rich programming features that are available in F# 3.0, the latest version of the language. The tutorials incorporate many domains, and help users understand F#’s new powerful “type providers” for data and service programming in the browser-based experience.

Try F# (Microsoft Research)

New Try F#

By working with the community, we have enhanced the “learn” experience, now complete with sample materials to get you started. Try F# now includes “create and share” experiences that help you write simple code to solve complex problems and then easily share snippets or sample packs with others.

F# communities make it easy to get involved:

• Microsoft F# discussion forum
• F# on Stack Overflow
• F# on DeveloperFusion

Try F#

Try F#/Learn

Why F#?

Simple Code for Complex Problems

F# is expressive and concise, which allows developers to implement their algorithms more directly. This means less code to read and maintain.

Rapid Prototyping

Using F# Interactive, code can be executed immediately without first compiling, which enables fluid problem exploration. Developers can use F# Interactive to iteratively refine algorithms to production quality.

Fewer Bugs

Case studies and user reports consistently show that F#'s strong type system reduces software bugs. Units of Measure further increase these benefits by preventing code from accidentally combining such elements as inches and centimeters, dollars and euros, or any custom units.

Seamless Interoperability

F# interoperates seamlessly with C#, and F# can be used with HTML5, JavaScript and other web standards. F# type providers can be used to integrate data sources and thousands of statistical libraries from packages such as R. The NuGet package environment provides over 8,000 new packages. Enterprises can use F# effectively without having to use different libraries and frameworks, and can leverage their existing assets and domain knowledge.

Efficient Execution

F# features modern, high-performance just-in-time (JIT) compilation to native code. F# code runs unchanged on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems by using the instructions available on the target architecture. The resulting code runs at the speeds much faster than languages such as Python, JavaScript or R, and in some cases significantly faster than C#.

Reduced Complexity

F# makes it easier to write functional programs, which eliminates complex time and state dependencies. This helps prevent bugs, makes unit testing more straightforward, simplifies refactoring, and promotes code reuse.

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Ready to get coding? Think you have to install a bunch of stuff to get started? Nope! You can get started learning and coding F# right now!

So get learning and coding already!