Introducing the Haskell Phrasebook

phrase bookdictionary.com

noun

  1. a small book containing everyday phrases and sentences and their equivalents in a foreign language, written especially for travelers.

We recently found ourselves looking at Go by ExampleGo by Example with envy. It is such an expedient introduction to the Go language; it does not seek to explain everything but contains much in brevity.

We love Haskell because it can be understood thoroughly. And that’s how we love to write about it: Constructed from the ground up, explaining everything, each concept firmly established before we put it into use. But each style of writing has its appropriate time and place. The by-example style is particularly great for getting an initial impression of a language. You can see what entire programs look like, and the commentary placed to the side augments the examples but does not interrupt them. The code is given some reign to speak for itself.

The Phrasebook

We are excited to announce The Haskell Phrasebook.The Haskell Phrasebook Taking an approach similar to Go by Example, it emphasizes how to get started writing programs quickly. In a departure from our usual style, this project does not explain everything in full detail; the Phrasebook’s role is only to be a traveler’s starting point and quick reference.

We have launched the Phrasebook with 14 demonstrations of topics ranging from if-then-else expressions to transactional concurrency, and there is a lot more to come.

The Phrasebook is totally free, and our intent is to make it the place to point Haskell newcomers for free introductory reading. If you share our vision, please consider helping us out: become a Type Classes member or contribute on Liberapay. This is how we are able to keep producing Haskell learning materials full-time.