F Sharp (programming language)

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Functional-first programming language

F#

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Paradigm	Multi-paradigm: functional, imperative, object-oriented
Family
Designed by	Don Syme
Developer	Microsoft Research, F# Software Foundation
First appeared
Typing discipline	Static, strong, inferred

F# (pronounced "F sharp") is a functional-first programming language that also supports imperative programming and object-oriented programming. It is developed by the F# Software Foundation and Microsoft Research. F# is a fully supported language in the .NET ecosystem, and it is used for a wide range of applications, from data analysis to web development.

History

F# was initially developed by Don Syme at Microsoft Research in Cambridge, and it was first released in 2005. The language was designed to be a functional-first language that could interoperate seamlessly with other .NET languages like C# and VB.NET. Over the years, F# has evolved significantly, with major contributions from the open-source community and the F# Software Foundation.

Features

F# is known for its strong support for functional programming paradigms, including:

• First-class functions
• Immutable data structures
• Pattern matching
• Type inference
• Asynchronous programming

Additionally, F# supports object-oriented programming and imperative programming, making it a versatile language for various programming tasks.

Syntax and Semantics

F# syntax is concise and expressive, borrowing elements from OCaml and other functional languages. Key features include:

• Type inference: The compiler can often deduce the types of expressions automatically.
• Pattern matching: A powerful feature for deconstructing data types.
• Pipelining: The |> operator allows for easy function chaining.

Ecosystem

F# is part of the .NET ecosystem, which means it can leverage the extensive libraries and tools available for .NET. It is supported by major IDEs like Visual Studio, JetBrains Rider, and Visual Studio Code.

Applications

F# is used in various domains, including:

• Data science
• Financial modeling
• Web development
• Machine learning

Community and Development

The F# community is active and vibrant, with contributions from both individuals and organizations. The F# Software Foundation plays a crucial role in the development and promotion of the language.

See also

• Functional programming
• .NET
• C# (programming language)
• Haskell (programming language)
• Scala (programming language)

External links

• Official F# website