Learning Haskell

Why am I learning Haskell?
There are several different answers, but there are a few that stick out more than others.  While I was learning F# and making my way through ProjectEuler problems, I was getting frustrated with running into type issues.  Here I was looking at some beautiful, clean and consice code, and then watching it get all cluttered up with F#'s casting syntax.₁
Another reason is when I finally solved a Euler problem and quite proudly submitted my solution, I would browse the other F# solutions and became dissapointed with what some others where submitting.  I was looking at F# syntax, but it was all procedural style.
F# is a great language and I really enjoy writing with it, and will continue.  However, I wanted to learn functional programming on a language that doesn't allow me to break the rules.
Getting Started with Haskell
I am using the GHC implementation, which can be downloaded here.  With the download you get three components:

• ghci - an interactive interpreter
• ghc - compiler
• runghc - runs Haskell programs as scripts

My examples will be in ghci, but I'll note when I switch.  My development environment is a Mac, so the command window is the bash shell.
After installing Haskell, launch Terminal and type in ghci:
$ghci
GHCi, version 6.10.1: http://www.haskell.org/ghc/ :? for help
Loading package ghc-prim ... linking ... done.
Loading package integer ... linking ... done.
Loading package base ... linking ... done.
Prelude>
Once the ghci is loaded, we see several libraries being loaded, ghc-prim, integer and base. Details on these packages can be found here.
The Prelude> prompt means the prelude library is loaded, sort of shorthand for the prelude 98 standard.  Like other Unix shells, what you see for the prompt is configurable, but I"ll leave the default.
One of the more import things to remember when you are starting is, :? This will list commands available from the prompt.  To execute an operating system or shell command, type in :! So to see what directory you are, type in
Prelude> :!pwd
/Users/nathanhoellein/HaskellProjects
To change directories, you need the :cd command.
Prelude> :cd ./ch03//
Prelude> :!pwd
/Users/nathanhoellein/HaskellProjects/ch03
Another command that's interesting is
:browse
It lists all names loaded by module.
Interactive Haskell

The ghc interpreter functions just like the F# interactive console, you can type in code snippets and perform arithmetic, except you don't have to end each line with ;;.
You can perform calculations using infix or prefix syntax:
infix:
Prelude> 2 + 3
5
prefix
Prelude> (+) 2 3
5
Integers can be large, see what happens when you want to know what 2 ^ 100 is:
Prelude> 2 ^ 100
1267650600228229401496703205376
Whereas in F#, you have to use doubles and you get a little different output:
> 2.0 ** 100.0;;
val it : float = 1.2676506e+30
What I find pleasing is you can see F#'s roots, the keyword "it".
The "it" variable sort of holds on to the last expression that was evaluated.
Prelude> 2 ^ 100
1267650600228229401496703205376
Prelude> it
1267650600228229401496703205376
We see the same in F#:
> 2.0 ** 100.0;;
val it : float = 1.2676506e+30
> it;;
val it : float = 1.2676506e+30
Other arithmetic stuff within Haskell:
Prelude> 2 - (-8)
10
Prelude> 2 + (-8)
-6
And booleans:
Prelude> True || False
True
Prelude> True && False
False
Like basic algebra, order of operations matter:
Prelude> (1 + 3) ^ 4
256
Prelude> 1 + (3 ^ 4)
82
That's a nice start for now, next post I'll cover lists.

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₁ - Yeah, I know it's really the .Net runtime