2006-10-27

Scala

I am constantly looking for a modern version of Scheme to programm in.

Scheme is a wonderful functional language but I am badly missing OO capabilities right in the language. Besides, the missing of a standard library/module system keeps me from programming in that language as it locks me more or less into one Scheme provider.

Dylan was a highly interesting language as a Scheme successor but it had not chance against the raising Java wave at that time (which was around 1995).

Then there was Python and Ruby, but for some reason I don't like them - probably because too much hype goes with them.

I nearly lost my hope to find a modernized Scheme when I finally came across the Scala programming language.

Besides being rooted in the same principles as Scheme, Scala also offers:
  • true object orientation (single inheritance + mixins)
  • ML style pattern matching
  • ML style type inference
  • Erlang style support for Actor/Agent/P2P based programming
  • XML construction and destruction syntax similar to /JWIG
  • Platform independent as it targets the JVM

I think I finally have come to a rest on my quest for 21st centry Scheme.

Cheers
marc

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