Haskell

Website

haskell.org

$ Details

Categories

#Programming Language #OOP #Generic Programming Language #Dynamic Programming Language

Julia

Website

julialang.org

$ Details

Categories

#Technical Computing #Programming Language #Numerical Computation #OOP

Haskell features and specs

• Pure Functional Programming
  Haskell emphasizes pure functional programming, meaning functions have no side effects. This leads to code that is easier to understand, test, and maintain.
• Strong Type System
  Haskell's type system is strong and expressive, allowing developers to catch many errors at compile time. This results in more reliable code.
• Lazy Evaluation
  Haskell uses lazy evaluation by default, which can lead to performance improvements by avoiding unnecessary computations and enabling the creation of infinite data structures.
• Immutability
  In Haskell, data is immutable by default. This leads to simpler reasoning about code behavior and reduces bugs related to mutable state.
• High-Level Abstractions
  Haskell provides powerful abstractions like monads, functors, and applicative functors, which can lead to more concise and expressive code.
• Concurrency
  Haskell has excellent support for concurrency and parallelism through its lightweight threading model and software transactional memory, making it suitable for concurrent applications.
• Community and Libraries
  Haskell has a dedicated community and a rich set of libraries and tools, which can help accelerate development and provide solutions to common problems.

Possible disadvantages of Haskell

• Steep Learning Curve
  Haskell has a steep learning curve, particularly for developers who are new to functional programming or coming from imperative and object-oriented backgrounds.
• Performance Concerns
  While Haskell can be efficient, its performance can sometimes lag behind other languages like C++ or Rust for certain use cases, especially those requiring low-level optimization.
• Limited Industry Adoption
  Haskell is not as widely adopted in industry compared to languages like Java, Python, or JavaScript, which can limit job opportunities and community size.
• Compilation Times
  Haskell's compilation times can be long, especially for large projects, which can slow down the development process.
• Tooling and IDE Support
  While improving, the tooling and IDE support for Haskell is not as mature as for some other popular languages, potentially affecting developer productivity.
• Complexity of Advanced Features
  Some of Haskell's advanced features, such as monads and type-level programming, can be complex and difficult to master, which can be a barrier for new developers.
• Library Gaps
  Although Haskell has many libraries, there might be gaps or less mature libraries for some specific use cases compared to more mainstream languages.

Julia features and specs

• High Performance
  Julia uses Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation which allows it to run at speeds close to those of statically compiled languages like C and Fortran.
• Ease of Use
  Julia’s syntax is simple and intuitive, similar to that of Python, making it accessible for newcomers and convenient for rapid development.
• Strong Support for Mathematical Computing
  Designed with numerical and scientific computing in mind, Julia includes powerful mathematical functions and supports arbitrary precision arithmetic.
• Multiple Dispatch
  Julia's multiple dispatch feature allows functions to be defined across many combinations of argument types which can lead to more flexible and extensible code.
• Rich Ecosystem
  Julia has a growing ecosystem of libraries and tools, supported by an active community, catering to a wide range of applications including data science, machine learning, and more.
• Interoperability
  Julia can easily call C and Fortran libraries directly without the need for wrappers, and it can also interact with Python, R, and MATLAB code.
• First-Class Support for Parallelism
  Julia natively supports parallel and distributed computing, enabling efficient handling of large-scale computations.

Possible disadvantages of Julia

• Immature Ecosystem
  Despite rapid growth, Julia's ecosystem is still not as mature or extensive as those of older, more established languages like Python or R.
• Long Compilation Time
  The JIT compilation can lead to longer initial startup times for scripts, which might be a drawback for users accustomed to instantaneous execution.
• Breaking Changes
  The language is still evolving, and updates sometimes include breaking changes that can disrupt existing codebases.
• Limited Learning Resources
  Compared to other popular languages, there are fewer tutorials, books, and community resources for learning Julia.
• Smaller Community
  While growing, the Julia community is smaller compared to well-established languages, which might limit the availability of peer support and community-driven development.
• Package Management Issues
  Users sometimes experience difficulties with package management and dependency issues, especially when using older packages or packages with many dependencies.
• Less Enterprise Adoption
  Julia has not been widely adopted in the enterprise sector, which can affect its perceived stability and support for mission-critical applications.

Functional Programming & Haskell - Computerphile

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