Interested in learning OCaml? In the NYC area? Then this might be for you!
Jane Street is running a day-long workshop on March 24th to teach OCaml. Our goal is to get people comfortable with the basics of the language and show them how to work effectively with the latest and greatest tools.
Frequently Anticipated Questions
What kinds of things do you expect to cover?
The workshop is organized around a set of exercises that take you through the basics of the language. In addition to that, we’ll teach you how to use the latest tools for OCaml, including Dune for building your code, Merlin for IDE-like support (type throwback, go-to-definition), expect tests for testing your program and visualizing its output, and js_of_ocaml for developing for the browser.
Who is this for?
The workshop is aimed at programmers who don’t know OCaml, i.e., people who are already comfortable and effective programmers in their language of choice, but happen not to know OCaml, and probably don’t know any language like it. We expect some people will come in with experience with other functional languages, and some with no functional experience at all. That’s all fine.
Where do I register?
The registration link is here, and registration closes March 16. Space is limited, so sign-up early.
How much does it cost?
Nothing!
When is it?
The workshop is on March 24th, from 10AM to 4PM. We’ll serve lunch and have snacks during the day, but you’re on your own for breakfast and dinner.
What do I need to do in advance?
We’re planning on putting up some instructions on how to get your platform set up in advance, so there’s a minimum of fuss on the day. We’ll have enough people to help with some installation problems during the workshop, but you and everyone else will have a better experience if you do most of the installation nonsense in advance. We’ll have a mailing list where you can ask questions about that kind of stuff if you get stuck.
Can I come if I already know OCaml?
The basic workshop material is more suited to OCaml beginners, but if enough people with OCaml experience register, we’ll do an advanced track where we cover some other topics, like the Incremental library for efficient on-line algorithms. So if you’re interested and do know OCaml already, please do apply. (Also, there are some topics, like Dune and expect tests, that are worth learning even if you already know OCaml.)
