TEZOS INSIGHT 4: What is OCaml? 1

Hi All,

It's Rooney for Tezos Insight for this week and today I brought an interesting story of OCaml, the programming language which is used to build Tezos.

Here is a quick question to you all, is there anyone who knows what Ocaml is? I am sure most of you have already heard it at least once but no one actually can explain what it is and why Tezos chose OCaml for building the fundamental land of Tezos.

Therefore, today, I am going to expound what it is and the reason why Tezos chose it with its insight being spread underneath Tezos world this day.

[What is OCaml]

OCaml is a genuine version of Caml programming language that is made by Xavier Leroy, Jérôme Vouillon, Damien Doligez, Didier Rémy, and many more in 1996.

OCaml is an open source project managed and operated mainly by INRIA.
OCaml is a programming language being added Objective-oriented structure to the core part of Caml that had inherited almost all parts of Caml Light which is short for Categorical Abstract Machine Language but removed a function of the abstract machine.

The core factors of OCaml are its safety​, conciseness, and expression of flexibility. OCaml as a widely used functional analog programming language is based on these particular features such as strong type system, pattern matching, polytypism, type inference, and so forth.

[Who uses OCaml]

There are many global big players who have built their service with OCaml programming language and here I brought some of the cases using OCaml.

1)Facebook
Facebook has built a number of major development tools using OCaml. Hack is a compiler for a variant of PHP that aims to reconcile the fast development cycle of PHP with the discipline provided by static typing. Flow is a similar project that provides static type checking for Javascript. Both systems are highly responsive, parallel programs that can incorporate source code changes in real time. Pfff is a set of tools for code analysis, visualizations, and style-preserving source transformations, written in OCaml, but supporting many languages.

2)Docker
Docker provides an integrated technology suite that enables developments and IT operations teams to build, ship, and run distributed applications anywhere. Their native applications for Mac and Windows, use OCaml code taken from the MirageOS library operating system project.

3)Bloomberg
Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. Bloomberg employs OCaml in an advanced financial derivatives risk management application delivered through its Bloomberg Professional service.

And many many more are using OCaml making development tools and supporting tons of languages.

Today, I've brought some of the ​basic information about OCaml and who uses it and will bring some reasons why Tezos chose OCaml building its fundamental ecosystem.

Hope you enjoy the rest of this week!

See you very soon with another insight of Tezos!

Thanks,

Do Baking! @ http://tezdele.io

Sincerely,
Rooney