

F# to join VB & C# in Microsoft language stable - bootload
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Application-Development/F-to-Join-VB-and-C-in-Microsoft-Language-Stable/

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iamelgringo
<flame retardant> I'm fairly tools agnostic. YMMV </flame retardant>

Microsoft is actually putting out some Geek friendly tech in the last couple
of years. If you need to Develop on Windows, there are some pretty interesting
tools to play around with.

I use PowerShell as my main shell on Windows. IronPython and IronRuby are
pretty cool ways to poke around .NET libraries. I've heard some pretty cool
things about C# and F# as well. I do still use Unix for sever boxes, however.

They actually have some good programs for startups and ISV's as well. You can
get a whole mess of Microsoft licenses in an Action Pack for $300.

But, as I've said, YMMV.

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shimi
I can't see the point.

VB.NET was created to get the VB6 developers move to the .NET

C# was created to get C++ and Java developers.

Another language won't get more developers using ,NET,

Microsoft if you want more developers using the .NET here is an idea, an
official .NET release (not mono) for Mac, and Linux!!!

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halo
I think it's not necessarily about people using F# but rather about creating
cool things to help attract intelligent people to Microsoft and to give
technical-minded people a better impression of them. Secondarily it also gives
puts them in a prime position within the functional programming niche in case
it does catch on and is likely to become the first choice in production
environments. It will attract a very different set of people to the .NET
stack.

Microsoft Research have employed Simon Peyton Jones, one of the main designer
of Haskell, for the best part of a decade to work on GHC so functional
programming is not really new to them.

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shimi
I fear I wasn't clear.

The main problem of the .NET is its distribution. I had to write million lines
of C++ win32 code, because no one wants to distribute a 22MB .NET installer.

As goes to ASP.NET that only works with IIS.

F# could be a great thing, but I wish MS would have solved this prime issue
before adding all kind of funky languages to the .NET Framework

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Elepsis
How is this different from the JVM, though, aside in that Java pretty much
never caught on for desktop apps?

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MoeDrippins
It's not, but java never caught on for desktop apps because Swing is a
steaming pile.

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netcan
# is a good suffix. Clever branding.

