[Caml-list] OCaml learning

[Caml-list] OCaml learning

[Arturo Borquez]

Hello Johan,
Perhaps as you I am not a "professional programmer"
because I am an electric engineer and a self made
programmer by need, a long 30 years story (Hw & SW
develpment). I had similar troubles when I've started
to lear OCaml. My personal experience steps summary:

1) Take a while with John Harrison course to LEARN the
basic idea of types and functions. (suggested by Frank
Atannasow).

2) Play with OCaml top wich is very handy to undestand
type equations. (wich is a basic prerequisite).

3) Forget C/C++ or any procedural mental scheme or don't infere nothing aside the language).

4) Rely on type inference and check the type solution
the top evaluator resolves for you to make sence.

5) At the beginning do simple exercices with native
types avoiding type annotations (or don't figth
against the type checker, you'll always lose).

6) Stay with the core language until you feel comfort
don't try Modules OO or labels.

7) Finally learn and exercise all the elegant beauty
stuffs the language provide to become an addicted!

Hope this would help OCaml other beginners.

Best regards,
Arturo


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Re: [Caml-list] OCaml learning

[John Max Skaller]

Arturo Borquez wrote:

> 7) Finally learn and exercise all the elegant beauty
> stuffs the language provide to become an addicted!

	But be warned! As a professional programmer ..
I am no longer employable. I just can't deal with
working in a C++ environment where Ocaml would do the job
so much better. I'm a 3 year -- hard core -- addict.
After learning Ocaml, you may need to sacrifice your
time -- and ethics, if you actually care about productivity --
to continue to work in industry.

	Perhaps in 5 years, you will be a highly sought after
specialist who can implement complex tasks in half the time
a team of 10 C++ programmers can. And perhaps you will
be lucky, and have the freedom to design your own (Ocaml)
solutions to problems, without being constrained by the
ignorance of others. I have been lucky twice, to write
Ocaml and get paid for it, so it isn't impossible ..

	Just be warned. Ocaml is dangerous.
Its just too good. 

-- 
John (Max) Skaller, mailto:skaller@maxtal.com.au 
10/1 Toxteth Rd Glebe NSW 2037 Australia voice: 61-2-9660-0850
New generation programming language Felix  http://felix.sourceforge.net
Literate Programming tool Interscript     
http://Interscript.sourceforge.net
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