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CompilerIntroducing Scala
Scala is a general purpose programming language designed to express common programming patterns in a concise, elegant, and type-safe way. It smoothly integrates features of object-oriented and functional languages, enabling Java and other programmers to be more productive. Code sizes are typically reduced by a factor of two to three when compared to an equivalent Java application. Read more
Scala Days - Shaping Up!
Created by bagwell on 2010-02-01. Updated: 2010-02-05, 17:00A full complement of research papers is in, many practical technical talks have already been proposed and the participant registration is already growing. Scala Days is a unique opportunity for you to meet the Scala development team, meet Martin Odersky, share your knowledge, learn about the latest research and meet or listen to talks by a whole lot of individuals passionate about Scala, people like Miles Sabin, David Copeland, Heiko Seeberger, Jonas Bonér and Josh Suereth. Taking place at EPFL located in Lausanne, Switzerland on the 15 and 16th of April 2010, you will be able to choose from a wide range of sessions, from pure research to Scala production application experience.
Perhaps you have implemented a Scala application in your company. You are a developer or project manager, then come to Scala Days and talk about it. Every developer, project leader and manager is eager to learn how to be successful and avoid the pit falls. Sharing your experience can be fun and provides vital help to others. Submit an abstract and be included in the program.
Foursquare move to Scala/Lift
Created by bagwell on 2010-02-01. Updated: 2010-02-02, 07:07Foursquare is a fast growing service that back in July 2009 both the Washington Post and Mashable were tipping as a potential "breakout hit" or "next Twitter". Foursquare provides a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things. It aims to keep you up with the places your friends go, and encourage you to discover new places and explore your neighborhood. Ever more people are enjoying the discovery experience.
With a rapidly growing base of hundreds of thousands of users Harry Heymann at Foursquare decided to move all the services to Scala/Lift based servers.
Scala 2.8.0 Beta 1
Created by admin on 2010-01-27. Updated: 2010-01-27, 15:07After many months of hard work, the Scala Team is proud to release the first beta of the much-awaited new Scala 2.8! Scala 2.8.0 Beta 1 is now available from our Download Page. It includes a huge number of bug fixes with respect to 2.7.7, and many new features. This beta is the foundation for the release of the upcoming final version of 2.8.0, expected in a few months. Read below to find out what is new!
Scala Track at JAX London 2010
Created by bagwell on 2010-01-22. Updated: 2010-01-25, 07:07JAX is a great forum to learn about the latest technologies and meet knowlegable experts in the industry This year JAX has dedicated a day to the growing Scala community. For those of you in the UK or planning to be there, JAX takes place from 22 to 24 February at the Novotel London West. If you want to learn more about Scala drop in on Ted Neward "Busy Java Developer's Guide to Scala" sessions for insights and practical guidance; Functional Java, Objects, Functions, Scala + Services.
A Postfunctional Language
Created by odersky on 2010-01-21. Updated: 2010-01-23, 00:22The past couple of years have seen some extended debates on whether Scala is a functional language. On the one hand, Scala offers essentially all programming constructs typically associated with functional programming and a lot of Scala code is purely functional. On the other hand quite a few people disagree that Scala is a functional language. For instance, Robert Fischer writes that Scala is Not a Functional Programming Language and Daniel Spiewak summarizes some of the arguments asking Is Scala Not Functional Enough?
I'd like to argue that a good adjective for characterizing Scala is postfunctional: The essential parts of functional programming were all absorbed into Scala, even if some of the "look-and-feel" is different. Also, functional programming in Scala is just a (very important) part of a larger toolbox. I see Scala as one of the leaders in a larger trend where functional programming is being progressively absorbed into the mainstream. This movement is gaining momentum. For instance, every new version of C# seems to be more functional than its predecessor and even Java might finally acquire closures. Of course, the addition of closures or type inference does not yet make a functional language, but it's the trend that counts here.
The Scala Community Rocks
Created by bagwell on 2010-01-20. Updated: 2010-01-22, 09:01There is nothing like success to attract people to a community and the Scala community has been more successful than most.
Eight times as many Scala compiler downloads were being made from the Scala-lang site at the end of 2009 than a year previously, that's 17,000 a month. The TIOBE language popularity rankings, shows Scala moving from 45th position to 25th during the last year, a reflection of the energy and enthusiasm of the Scala community. When you join the Scala community you find friendly people ready to help neophytes and experts alike, at conferences, user groups, via blogs, mail-lists or by practical answers to StackOverflow questions.
