The document serves as an introduction to F# by Michael Yeaney from Minitab, focusing on the language’s features such as immutability, algebraic types, and actor-based concurrency. It highlights the benefits of F# including its interoperability with the .NET framework and cross-platform availability. The document encourages readers to learn more about F# and integrate it into their projects.

1. Introduction to F#
Michael Yeaney, Minitab, Inc.

2. Who Am I?
● Research Architect at Minitab, Inc.
● Focus on distributed systems (cloud apps)
o Scale/Consistency
o Security
● Provable code/systems junkie
o How do you know a system is behaving correctly?

3. F#....from Microsoft?
● Functional Language (based on OCaml)
● Focus on “pure” FP first, then OO concepts
● Ideal for certain problem sets
o Scientific/stateless
o Pure Logic
● Awesome for modeling
o Works for any domain
o Great for provers/solvers

4. Benefits
● Access to .NET framework / ecosystem
● Interoperability with any CLR language
o Can be used to cross “language” barriers
● Available cross-platform
o Windows via .NET Framework / VS
o Linux/OS-X via Mono Framework / Xamarin
o Emacs / Vim, too!!!

5. Features...
● First-class support of functions as values
● Immutability *by default*
o Opt-in to mutation
● Algebraic Types
● Actor-based model of concurrency
● Type providers

6. Features: Functions as values
● Functions are treated just as any value
● Partial application
● Composition

7. Features: Immutability
● Assigned values *cannot* be changed
● However….local shadowing is a thing :-(
● That said...avoids a whole set of problems
o Allows certain performance advantages

8. Features: Algebraic Types
● Combine (compose) types
● Encode type rules completely in...types. :-
o Types are not classes!!!
● Allows use of discriminated union types
o Quite powerful; hard to express better
● Yields _provable_ code

9. Features: Actor Model
● Built-in actor model
● Allows lightweight concurrency
● Far more scalable than threads/processes
o Erlang/Akka/etc.
● Not quite as transparent as OTP
o Cross-machine is still quite explicit.
o Frameworks help (FSharp.CloudAgent, Cricket)

10. Features: Type Providers
● New to F# 3.0
● Provide type information
(methods/properties) from external data
sources
● Many built-in providers available OOB:
o OData, WSDL, SQL, CSV
● Create custom type providers

11. Great stuff!!! Now what?
● Download!!!! [fsharp.org]
● Learn!!! [fsharp.org]
● Psst….[fsharp.org]
● Use a little...integrate into .NET projects
● Use a lot...entire project in F#
● Not using .NET
o Expose via STDIN/OUT….TCP socket….HTTP(S)

12. Thank You!!!