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A New Concurrent ML

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57 pointstonyg5 comments

CML is great and really deserves more attention.

We're lucky to have Andy deep dive into so many interesting subjects (modern JS engines, Concurrent ML), explain them in enthusiastic and well-written blog posts, and back it up with open source Scheme code.

In a previous blog post he name droped Mike Sperber; for reference, here is Mike's implementation of CML using Scheme 48's optimistic concurrency features: http://www.s48.org/cgi-bin/hgwebdir.cgi/s48/file/a4462425629.... I wonder if that was ever used for anything.

ML in this case is Robin Milners ML a statically typed functional language and not machine learning. ML is a wonderful language that lives on in ocaml, standard ml, and I believe f# and scala are also some it descendants?

Elm syntax also reminds me very much of SML. I was asked a question about Elm a few months back, and I was able to figure out what was going on purely from having played with SML in the past (so the syntax was familiar) and having used re-frame in clojurescript (so the semantics were familiar too).

I've never used an ML for anything beyond playing with the language (SML and OCaml), but I really enjoyed it when I did. ML is a beautiful language.

I like that SML isn't pure, isn't lazy and allows mutation. While it's less elegant theoretically, it's eminently more practical for real world conditions where it's easier to teach and reading about.

I've wondered quite a lot why SML/CML isn't more popular than it is. If we compare it to the darling that is golang, it is better in every way except inertia (which was about the same until the past year or two).

As a scheme person I have always envied the ML camp because that's where all the cool stuff has been happening. It is so nice to have someone like Andy that has the brains and the time to bring some of it to guile.

Big thanks to Andy and his employer that pays him to work part time on guile.

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