SML on the Web

SML is a strongly typed functional programming language. This page comprises a few links to other documentation on the web.

There are two tutorial courses which are recommended:

Programming in Standard ML , Robert Harper's introduction which describes the 97 version of the language and gives some style information and describes the module system.
Mike Gordon's Introduction to Functional Programming (1995/96) which more throughly and systematically describes the core language than Harper, but without structures or functors. Mads Tofte has four lectures which describes the module system.

There are several on line sources of information.

Standard ML of New Jersey locally at the University of Calgary
On Line Tutorials
The Standard ML Basis Library
On-line Information about Standard ML
SML/NJ Literature
Comp.Lang.ML FAQ [Monthly Posting]
What is Standard ML is a one page description of ML giving a list of distinguishing properties.

Functional Programming Propaganda

Here is a collection of papers which may be described as propaganda; Just as there are Java white papers, and the slogan "Write once, run anywhere" there are similar papers which make a case for functional programming.

Why Functional Programming Matters , is likely John Hugh's most famous paper. He claims that functional languages allow different sorts of "glue" to bind programs together and hence allows better modularisation and a higher level of abstraction.
Professor Paul Hudak's Home Page contains "Haskel vs Ada vs C++ vs Awk vs ... An Experiment in Software Prototyping Productivity" which is one of his most requested papers. It describes an experiment (which he says is full of holes) comparing different programming languages. He also has a keynote address claiming Domain Specific Languages offer a higher level of abstraction, and that the ideal way to implement these is in a functional programming language.
Phil Wadler's Home Page has a link to his recent publications which include
- Functional Programming: Why no one uses functional languages from SIGPLAN Notices
- Functional Programming: An angry half-dozen;
- papers on GJ (Generic Java) and PIZZA which are "functional" languages which are compatible (supersets of) JAVA