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Add to SafariWhen comparing F# vs Reason ML, the Slant community recommends F# for most people. In the question“What are the best languages for learning functional programming?” F# is ranked 3rd while Reason ML is ranked 19th. The most important reason people chose F# is:
F#'s syntax tends to be terse while remaining very readable and easy to understand without being a chore to write.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Concise syntax
F#'s syntax tends to be terse while remaining very readable and easy to understand without being a chore to write.
Pro Easier transition from other paradigms
Since F# is not a purely functional language, it lends itself to being more easily picked up by programmers that have experience with other paradigms.
Pro .NET Interoperability
Since F# runs on the Common Language Runtime or CLR, it has access to the entire .NET Framework, as well as libraries written in other .NET languages such as C#, VB.NET, and C++/CLI.
Pro Multiplatform, it runs on .Net Core
Forget Xamarin and Mono. F# now runs on the multiplatform .Net Core!
Pro You can run F# in the browser
Thanks to a project like Fable, you can write and run your client app in F# and run it over JavaScript. It allows you to share code between your server and client.
Pro Natively supported by Visual Studio
This is a .Net language natively supported by Visual Studio. Though it is not as tooled up as C# the support is still substantial. In particular, C# deployment scenarios can be enabled for it with small C# wrapper projects. Integration with Visual Studio provides: IntelliSense, debugging, projects an other features.
Pro Fall into the pit of success
F# directs you into a workflow where the right way is the path of least resistance.
Coming from a C# background, its restrictions might feel arbitrary at first (e.g., what do you mean my code has to be in dependency order!? Arbitrary alphabetical or bust!), but you'll soon realize that your code is cohesive, concise and consistent in a way that it never was before - and you can compile and run with confidence!
Pro F# is supported by Xamarin
Thanks to Xamarin, F# is a functional language that you can use to build for iOS, Android and Windows.
Pro Uses the excellent Bucklescript Ocaml to Javascript transpiler
Pro Superior type inference
Ocaml type inference is so smart that you never have to repeat yourself and keep code very clean, type errors also are very pleasant.
Pro Aims to make the transition from Javascript easier
Despite being a completely different language Javascript programmer will find that the syntax of ReasonML has many familiarities with Javascript.
Pro Uses established compiler technology from Ocaml with a tweaked syntax that leans more towards Javascript
Pro Removes JavaScript "bad parts" but sticks to it's design philosophy
unlike other js-targetting languages that are thought as a way to have a language that pleases community X run in a browser, reason is really designed with JavaScript community in mind. it removes the bad parts but keeps its syntax and its best design principles (from Scheme): simplicity, minimalism, and functions as building block.
Pro Immutability with escape hatches
reason includes true immutability, but it has escape hatches to let you use mutations in exceptional cases.
Pro Compiles to JavaScript or assembly (ocaml)
The same reasonml code can compile to js (eg. run on browsers or node.js, use any lib in npm), or compile to assembly thru ocaml (unless of course you load js externals), running on any device, with C-comparable (or better) performance.
Pro JSX syntax natively supported
Reason was created by the creator of react, for developers already using JSX to template web or native UIs this results very familiar.
Cons
Con Has no ad-hoc polymorphism (á la Type Classes)
You have generics, you have interfaces, you have inheritance, you have a lot of things at your disposal but you don't have Type Clases. They can be emulated using some clever constructs but there's nothing like having the real thing.
Con Infested with OOP
Still relying on .NET OOP libraries.
Con A standard async syntax is pending
Async syntax is not standard across native/js projects and in both cases a bit awkward for non-ocaml devs. Currently this is reasonml most voted issue in their GitHub repo so hopefully, there's news soon.
Con Ecosystem is a mess
A wonderful language, but a user is required to use multiple different package managers for many things (esy, bsb, npm). Some standard templates from bsb (e.g. react-starter) are not installable out of the box.
