With this in-depth tutorial, F# team member Chris Smith introduces you to Microsoft's new multi-paradigm programming language. You'll not only learn how to use F# as a general-purpose language similar to C# and Visual Basic, but as a functional programming language for developing concurrent and math-intensive applications on the .NET platform.

Programming F# gives you a head start on the fundamentals and advanced concepts of the official F# language version that will ship with Visual Studio 2010. This book will help you:

• Get a clear understanding of functional programming, and how you can use it to write better code
• Learn language-oriented programming with F#, a style that lets you write code tailored to the domain of your application
• Use advanced F# concepts, such as having an existing .NET routine execute in parallel without having to write plumbing code to manage the threads
• Implement design patterns in F# for both object-oriented and functional programming

Chris Smith tests every element of F# for the Microsoft development team, giving him a unique command of the language. With Programming F#, you'll benefit from his expertise right away.