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Evolving the OCaml Programming Language (2025) [pdf]

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157 points matt_d | 3 comments | 05 Sep 25 00:05 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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zerr ◴[05 Sep 25 09:17 UTC] No.45136581[source]▶
I remember the go to alternative "standard" library was being developed by some bank from Wall Street. Is it still the case? i.e. do most people still use that 3rd party lib or did the real standard library evolve since then?
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1. debugnik ◴[05 Sep 25 09:52 UTC] No.45136791[source]▶
My impression is that most people, as in a majority, aren't using Jane Street's Base and Core. Maybe some or even many, but not most, and specially not in the FOSS ecosystem. I think this idea comes from so many learning materials using their libs, you feel kind of funneled towards them at the start.

But yes, the standard library has added many helper functions that were sorely needed during the last few years, and the upcoming 5.4 keeps adding more. Still not as many goodies as Jane Street's libraries, but nowadays I don't miss them as long as I can use just a few small libraries, mostly by dbunzli and c-cube.

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2. aguluman ◴[05 Sep 25 11:44 UTC] No.45137450[source]▶
Is stdlib the original then base and core are extensions?
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3. debugnik ◴[05 Sep 25 12:47 UTC] No.45137890[source]▶
Yes, although they're replacements more than extensions. Stdlib is OCaml's builtin standard library, Base is Jane Street's lightweight replacement of Stdlib (although the most basic types are compatible), and Core is Jane Street's full standard library extending Base.

There's nothing inherently wrong with them, aside from their API being unstable, but they're an opinionated wedge in an ecosystem already lacking the cohesion of newer languages.