Since the bankruptcy is proceeding methodically, and there isn't much to report, perhaps a report from ZD isn't out of place here, just to show that it is "business as usual" for now:
Has anyone heard about the new programming language called F# ?
Does anyone care about the new programming language called F# ?
Has anyone ever played anything in the key of F# ?
No? No?, and probably No? again? That's what I thought.
I'm not much into programming, but this appears to be something that might be useful for some who do, even for those who love to hate Microsoft. Whether you're interested in using it, those who build their own websites and run servers may see it later and wonder where it came from (?).
Microsoft Watch (ZD eWeek) provided a link in their latest newsletter to an article that suggests that a few of our people who actually might do some programming, and might need another tool, might be helped by at least being aware.
Exploring the New F# Language gives enough of an "intro" that some might be able to play with it, offers why you might, and suggests how to get it - if anyone is interested. It's a pretty brief article (4 short web pages), and a quick read to see if it's worth knowing about.
Features Listed:
Full .NET accessibility Complete command line scripting use Integration with Visual Studio 2005, Visual Studio 2008, and the Visual Studio 2008 Shell (download it at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vsx2008/products/bb933751.aspx) Cross-platform availability (Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Vista, Windows Server 2008, or Linux/Macintosh with Mono) Strong data typing and type inference Good application performance inline with using C#
It's apparently intended for use mainly with Visual Studio, which won't run on Mac or Linux, but F# can be used on either of them, or in Windows, for other purposes - he says.
I'd be curious to hear whether someone might have a use for it ... or if everbody but me already knew all about it.