Haskell is a deep language; we think learning it is a hugely rewarding experience. We will focus on three elements as we explain why. The first is novelty: we invite you to think about programming from a different and valuable perspective. The second is power: we’ll show you how to create software that is short, fast, and safe. Lastly, we offer you a lot of enjoyment: the pleasure of applying beautiful programming techniques to solve real problems.

This easy-to-use, fast-moving tutorial introduces you to functional programming with Haskell. You'll learn how to use Haskell in a variety of practical ways, from short scripts to large and demanding applications. Real World Haskell takes you through the basics of functional programming at a brisk pace, and then helps you increase your understanding of Haskell in real-world issues like I/O, performance, dealing with data, concurrency, and more as you move through each chapter. With this book, you will:

• Understand the differences between procedural and functional programming
• Learn the features of Haskell, and how to use it to develop useful programs
• Interact with filesystems, databases, and network services
• Write solid code with automated tests, code coverage, and error handling
• Harness the power of multicore systems via concurrent and parallel programming

You'll find plenty of hands-on exercises, along with examples of real Haskell programs that you can modify, compile, and run. Whether or not you've used a functional language before, if you want to understand why Haskell is coming into its own as a practical language in so many major organizations, Real World Haskell is the best place to start.