Reason is a js like syntax for ocaml, semantically they're identical. Similar to...

nerdponx · on Jan 21, 2017

So what you're saying is I could write a JavaScript-esque program and compile it to OCaml using Reason, and then compile it to true JavaScript using Bucklescript?

phpnode · on Jan 21, 2017

Yes exactly, although you can avoid the middle step and go straight from reason to js because of the way bucklescript plugs into the ocaml compiler

e12e · on Jan 21, 2017

Why would one prefer reason to ocaml? (Honest question)

tomku · on Jan 21, 2017

You might find this page from the Reason website useful: https://facebook.github.io/reason/mlCompared.html

It replaces a lot of the idiosyncratic bits of OCaml's syntax with things that feel more appropriate if you're comfortable with other modern languages.

A quick example is tuple types. OCaml declares tuple types as int * int, which makes total sense if you know that tuples are a product type. However, you actually create tuples using commas. Reason throws away the connection to theory and uses the same syntax for types (int, int) and creating values of that type (3, 7).

purity_resigns · on Jan 21, 2017

Reason's syntax is a little cleaner and it's easier to get up and running with.

phpnode · on Jan 21, 2017

It is much more like JavaScript than ocaml and so you get a familiar language but one which benefits from all the cool things that ocaml can do.

k__ · on Jan 21, 2017

Another n00b question: What are "all the cool things that ocaml can do"?

I only saw rather simple typing examples, which didn't seem much different from what TypeScript can do.

On the other hand I read often that ocaml doesn't have runtime errors, which I certainly get with TypeScript.

yawaramin · on Jan 21, 2017

This is a good overview I think, although it doesn't get into specifics: https://realworldocaml.org/v1/en/html/prologue.html#why-ocam...

Of course the rest of the book is a great read too if you're so inclined.

eru · on Jan 23, 2017

OCaml does have exceptions at runtime (eg if you try to take the maximum of an empty list), but generally your programmes won't have type errors at runtime.