From an article under the Java Technology section of IBM’s Developerworks,

Scala is a functional-object hybrid language with several powerful factors working in its favor:

* First, Scala compiles to Java bytecode, meaning it runs on the JVM. In addition to enabling you to continue leveraging the rich Java open-source ecosystem, Scala can be integrated into an existing IT environment with zero migration effort.
* Second, Scala is based on the functional principles of Haskell and ML, yet still borrows heavily from the familiar object-oriented concepts Java programmers love. As a result, it can blend the best of both worlds into a whole that offers significant benefit without sacrificing the familiarity we’ve come to depend on.
* Finally, Scala was developed by Martin Odersky, probably best known in the Java community for the Pizza and GJ languages, the latter of which became the working prototype for Java 5’s generics. As such, it comes with a feeling of “seriousness”; this language was not created on a whim, and it will not be abandoned in the same fashion.

Scala is available in the Ubuntu Gutsy 7.10 repositories. To install, type sudo apt-get install scala. Enjoy.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008 at 10:57 pm and is filed under Programming, Software Development, UnderpaidLoveMonki. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.