Microsoft releases F# under Apache 2.0 license

This is a good move. With Java under Oracle's control, Microsoft has a lot to gain by embracing open source licensing.

It's interesting how the F# team is pushing F# to be the language for data-rich programming. Their Type Provider concept looks promising, but some of their demos still are comically difficult coming from a R/Matlab/Python style of data-rich programming. Of course coming from C#/Java it all looks amazing.<p>But I don't quite see how F# replaces R or Matlab, even with library support. Performance alone seems dubious value proposition, since packages like Jacket for Matlab make most computations extremely fast.<p>Anybody have experience where demand for strongly typed language is really needed for data analysis tasks?

"After some discussion, we’ve decided to do this via a “code drop” model..."<p>They lost me here.

First IronPython &#38; IronRuby (<a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1833772" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1833772</a> ) and now this. I have to say, Microsoft is (or seems to be, depending on your philosophical disposition) increasingly embracing FOSS, and that's a very good move not only for them, but also the community.

Java is Oracle stack, C# is MS stack, objective-C is Apple stack.<p>Is there an opportunity for an open language with similar VM ease-of-use/performance tradeoffs - or is hardware now fast enough for the ease/speed of dynamic languages to fill that gap (Python, Ruby, Javascript, ...)?

Great News! Mono here we come...

Does it mean anything in particular that they chose the Apache 2.0 license? Their previously public plans were to use MS-Pl.

I wonder what it would take to remove the dependency on the .NET runtime. Could anyone with relevant experience and knowledge comment?

Are we getting any closer of developing .NET / WPF apps on Mac? (Wishful thinking, shameless cry)

That makes me believe there is no protection against contributor patents in the Apache 2.0 license...<p>At least they won't sue you if you use it under Windows.