Introduction to Scala

Haim MichaelNovember 22th, 2015

All logos, trademarks and brand names used in this presentation, such as the logo of Scalaor any of its frameworks, belong to their respective owners. Haim Michael and LifeMichael are independent and not related, affiliated or connected neither with Scala, EPFL, TypeSafe or any of the companies and the technologies mentioned in this presentation.

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Table of ContentLi fe M

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m● What is Scala?

● The Scala Story

● Scala Strengths

● Scala in The Industry

● Scala Comparison

● IDEs for Scala

● The Main Documentation

● Learning Resources

● Questions & Answers

What is Scala?● Scala is a blend of object oriented programming and a

functional one. This mixture is the source of its strength.

● Scala is compatible with Java. The two languages are

interoperable with each other. We can integrate the code

we write in Scala with our code in Java and vice verso.

● Scala is kind of an improvement to Java. Not only that

Scala re-uses Java's types it also “dresses them up”.

scala-lang.org

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The Scala Story● The development of Scala started in 2003 at EPFL by

Martin Odersky, who had previously worked on

developing the first Java compilers.

● Typesafe was founded in 2011 in order to assist

companies with the development of software

applications using the Scala programming language and

its frameworks.

www.typesafe.com

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The Scala Story● HIT is one of the first academic institutions in the world in

which students learn Scala.

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http://www.scala-lang.org/old/node/203.html

Scala StrengthsLi fe M

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mScala

Java

● Comparing with Java, when using Scala our code

becomes significantly shorter.

class Rectangle {

private double width;

private double height;

public Rectangle (double width, double height) {

this.width = width;

this.height = height;

}

}

class Rectangle(var width: Double, var height: Double)

Scala Strengths Li fe M

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● Scala runs on top of the JVM. We can seamlessly

integrate the code we write in Scala with code written in

Java.

● We can integrate Scala with .NET. The code in Scala

can be compiled into CLR byte code.

● The Scala compiler inferences the static types been

used. We don't need to tell it the types of our variables.

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● Revolutionary frameworks (e.g. AKKA, Finagle) that

were developed in Scala allow us to develop reactive

systems. Check www.reactivemanifesto.org for more info

about reactive programming.

● Scala provides us with sophisticated patterns matching

capabilities. The switch statement on steroids.

● Functions in Scala are first class objects. In Scala we

can easily develop and use higher order functions.

Scala Strengths Li fe M

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● The operators in Scala are functions. We can easily

overload operators that already exist and invent new

ones.

● Scala allows us to define either objects, classes or traits.

The use of traits puts a new flexibility to the use of

interfaces.

● Scala provides us with futures and promises, simplifying

the development of concurrent and distributed programs.

Scala in The Industry● Scala is highly popular on the server side. Many of the

companies that use Scala are either startup based with

highly talented people or very big companies with the

required budget.

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Scala ComparisonLi fe M

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Learning Curve

Pop

ular

ity

Java

Scala

Easy Difficult

Low

H

igh

PHP

JavaScriptC#

Scala ComparisonLi fe M

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Object Oriented

Fu

nctio

nal

Java

Scala

Weak Strong

Wea

k

Str

ong

PHPJavaScript

C#

Scala ComparisonLi fe M

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Development Process

Pla

tform

Dep

ende

ncy

Java

Scala

Easy Difficult

Low

Hig

h

PHP

JavaScript

C#

Scala ComparisonLi fe M

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Hosting Services

Ope

n S

ourc

e C

omm

unity Java

Scala

Few Many

Sm

all

Big

PHP

JavaScript

C#

IDEs for Scala Development● You can develop in Scala using the command line. You

can alternatively use one of the available Java IDEs. You

will need to install a plugin that allows coding in Scala.

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scala-ide.org www.netbeans.org

www.jetbrains.com/idea/

The Main Documentation● You can find the complete API documentation online at

http://www.scala-lang.org/documentation/.

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Learning Resources● In order to start developing in Scala the minimum would be

installing JDK and the Scala SDK right after.

● You can find the Scala SDK available for free at

http://www.scala-lang.org/download/.

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Learning Resources● You can find an excellent free course by Martin Odersky

available for free at www.coursera.org.

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Learning Resources● You can find the following excellent books written by Martin

Odersky.

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Learning Resources● You can find the Israeli Guide to Scala available for free

personal use at http://www.scalabook.co.il.

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Learning Resources● You can find a growing number of online free courses about

various topics in the Scala at http://abelski.lifemichael.com.

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Learning Resources● You can find the biggest professional group about Scala on

Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/groups/203788593023488

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Questions & Answers

If you enjoyed my seminar please leave me a comment

at http://speakerpedia.com/speakers/life-michael.

Thanks for your time!

Haim.

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