Why use Scala in 2023?

Transcript

1. Philipp Haller
   Scala
   • A statically-typed programming language that integrates object-oriented and
   functional programming (https://www.scala-lang.org/)
   
   
   • Concise
   
   
   – Modern, compact syntax
   
   
   – Powerful type inference
   
   
   • Fully interoperable with Java and JavaScript (Scala.js)
   
   
   – Also: beta version of native code compiler (Scala Native)
   
   
   • About as fast as Java
   
   
   • Pushes the boundaries of what is possible to express in a type-safe way given
   the above properties of the language
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2. Philipp Haller
   Motivation for Using Scala
   • Scala is an excellent choice for implementing interpreters and type checkers
   
   
   – This is the main task in the labs
   
   
   – Language features of particular interest: case classes and pattern matching,
   tuples, higher-order functions, etc.
   
   
   • Scala has received the highest international award for its significant impact on both
   industrial software development and programming language research
   

   (ACM SIGPLAN Programming Languages Software Award)
   
   
   • In addition, learning a new language…
   
   
   – is beneficial when studying the principles of programming languages
   
   
   – can make you a better programmer, regardless of the languages you are going
   to use for future tasks
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3. Philipp Haller
   Latest RedMonk Ranking
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   Scala ranked
   higher than Kotlin and
   Rust
   Source: Stephen O’Grady, The RedMonk Programming Language Rankings: June 2022
   

   https://redmonk.com/sogrady/2022/10/20/language-rankings-6-22/
   Latest RedMonk Ranking (June 2022)
   

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4. Philipp Haller
   Growing Adoption of Scala
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   IEEE Spectrum ranking “Top Programming Languages 2022” (“Jobs” preset)
   
   
   https://spectrum.ieee.org/top-programming-languages-2022
   

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5. Philipp Haller
   Scala Center and Commercial Users
   • Non-profit center at EPFL, Switzerland, (https://scala.epfl.ch/) dedicated to the
   continued development and maintenance of Scala
   
   
   – Open-source software development
   
   
   – Education via Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
   
   
   • Advisory board members:
   
   
   – 47 Degrees, Databricks, Goldman Sachs, Lightbend, Lunatech,
   VirtusLab, Spotify, Twitter
   
   
   • Other prominent Scala users:
   
   
   – Airbnb, Apple, Klarna, Lego, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Netflix, PayPal,
   Shopify, Starbucks, Tesla, Verizon, Walmart, Walt Disney, Zalando
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