Haskell
Haskell is a standardized, general-purpose, purely functional programming language, with non-strict semantics and strong static typing. Here are some key points about Haskell:
History
- Origins: Haskell was developed in the late 1980s by a committee formed by several researchers to consolidate features from existing functional programming languages like Miranda, ML, and Hope.
- First Release: The first version of Haskell was introduced in 1990. The language has since undergone several revisions, with the latest being Haskell 2010.
- Named After: The language is named after Haskell B. Curry, a logician whose work influenced the development of functional programming.
Key Features
- Purely Functional: Haskell promotes a style of programming where functions do not have side effects, meaning they always produce the same output for the same input.
- Lazy Evaluation: Haskell uses lazy evaluation, where expressions are only evaluated when their results are needed. This allows for potentially infinite data structures.
- Static Typing: The type system in Haskell is very expressive, allowing for type inference, which reduces the need for explicit type annotations.
- Higher-Order Functions: Functions can take other functions as parameters and can return functions as results.
- Monads: Haskell's use of monads provides a way to structure computations, particularly useful for handling side effects in a pure functional context.
- Pattern Matching: Haskell supports pattern matching, allowing for elegant and concise decomposition of data structures.
Applications and Usage
- Academic Research: Due to its strong theoretical foundations, Haskell is often used in academia for research in programming languages and type theory.
- Industry: Companies like Galois, Inc., Jane Street, and others use Haskell for financial systems, data analysis, and other high-assurance applications.
- Compilers: Haskell's expressive type system and its ability to handle complex abstractions make it a good choice for writing compilers and language tools.
- Web Development: Frameworks like Yesod and Happstack allow developers to build web applications in Haskell.
Community and Support
- Hackage: The Haskell community maintains Hackage, a comprehensive package repository similar to PyPI or npm for other languages.
- Conferences and Workshops: Events like Haskell Symposium and ZuriHac gather Haskell enthusiasts to share knowledge and foster community growth.
- Documentation: Haskell has extensive documentation, including the "Haskell Programming from First Principles" book, which is considered a comprehensive guide for learners.
Sources
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