On how Jet.com chose F#

[untog]

The post seems to be a discussion of C# vs F# without considering any other alternatives. It also mentions being surprised at user groups for Scala and Clojure being larger - I'm surprised that it would be surprising. It seems like the verdict was to go to with F# because it's functional - a good reason, but I'd love to have read why not Scala/Clojure/etc.

Odd thing is that at no point does it mention the cost of running ASP.NET servers - are they using F# with Mono? If not, the cost of licensing etc. is a valid concern - though I know MS provides incentives for startups.

Less competition over top developers can only mean good things for Jet.

Ehhh... yes and no? If your overall pool of potential developers is much smaller that's definitely a potential issue.

[jackfoxy]

For an operation the size of Jet the licensing of Windows servers is trivial. Without looking very hard I found a Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard - 64-bit License for $574.94. That's a one-time cost. There are ways to get it even cheaper. Maybe expensive for a hobbyist, but not much of a consideration for a company in production.

Companies with a lot of MS licenses have different options available, but this gives you an idea of the scale of the cost.

[runT1ME]

I know quite a few developers that are only interested in working at companies that have bought in to functional programming. The fact that they're willing to invest in a less popular language says a lot of good things about their engineering culture too.

[karanbhangui]

As per their job listings, looks like they're running on Azure.

[Sanddancer]

Licensing for Windows isn't as expensive as some people believe. Going in with their licensing plans, their cheapest server level with support comes to about $300/year. Redhat, for support, starts at $350. Yes, it can be $500+/server if you're buy it retail off the shelf, but any sort of internet related business, you're almost certainly not going to be going that way.

[Delmania]

> a good reason, but I'd love to have read why not Scala/Clojure/etc.

The CTO is familiar with .NET, and realized it's good enough to get the job done. The goal is to deliver a product or service, not argue over which technology stack is better.

[UK-AL]

There probably more .net or Java companies then any other stack.

In most cities they're usually the highest paid to.

It's mostly startups where it is not used, for the percieved barrer to entry.

[limelight]

A more accurate title would be "Why Jet didn't choose C#" as they don't seem to pay any attention to the non-Windows stacks available.

I'm still no closer to understanding why they would build a startup on a MS stack, a question I've been pondering for the past year and a half.

[uptownJimmy]

I honestly believe the burden of proof is the other way around: why would they NOT use the MS stack?

Cobbling together a stack from component parts is not my idea of a productive day, though I do understand the attraction it has for some developers, and I do understand how it made a lot of sense, until recently, for those doing some bootstrapping.

I've dabbled in various OSS technologies, and I cannot for the life if me figure out why anyone attempting something big would automatically choose anything OSS over Java EE or .NET, at this point. The cost to entry with .NET is basically zero these days, and it is a seriously powerful dev stack.

[AdeptusAquinas]

Because it started with the CEO making a WCF service. Meaning he knew .NET and stuck with what was comfortable - just like StackOverflow's origin.

Best to keep to what you know when you are starting something risky - and there is nothing wrong with the MS stack for this sort of thing.

[bsdpython]

A lot of the NYC area financial firms use Microsoft technologies. If you are a developer at one of these firms and looking to leave to join a startup then there's your chance to jump. At least that is the way they've explained it to me. I don't use any MS technologies myself but that doesn't make it an invalid choice.

[UK-AL]

Because its fast to get it up and running, and has batteries included.

Other stacks usually require tons of config, infrastructure set up. Scripting etc.

.net I can literally click deploy to azure and I'm done.

[Sanddancer]

Because if you want good support, such as OS lifecycles longer than a couple years, they're actually fairly inexpensive. RHEL starts at $350 a year to get you the same kind and length of support you'll get from a $300 MS subscription. Yes, the retail price for an MS OS is high, but if you're going to be doing server deployments, you'll be getting your software from direct resellers, who do provide much more reasonable prices.

[eonw]

i think in this case, they were funded before they started so cost wasnt an issue. versus most startups that start with little or no cash, so the idea of MS licensing is not even open for conversation.

i dont really think of jet as a startup in the classical sense. its just a new company with lots of funding, it sure wasnt bootstrapped.

IMO, its going to be a flop. their prices arent competitive for the items i have searched.

[amelius]

> Jet is the shopping cart membership that gets you club price savings on just about anything you buy.

Pricing should be completely transparent for a competitive market. We need less of this.

[toomuchtodo]

Waiting for someone to make something like Tracktor for Jet. It shows you pricing data for Amazon products using an extension.

https://thetracktor.com/

[WaxProlix]

But - Won't the market sort it out?

[GFK_of_xmaspast]

What, like I'm going to shop retail like a peasant?

[hkon]

F# is what the cool former C# developers are using nowdays. It's either that or node.js embrace. Go figure.

[CmonDev]

Where are all the wonderful .NET github repos written entirely in F#? They sure do like writing about F#.

[starrychloe]

How does F# compare with Ruby? Ruby code is so compact!

[CmonDev]

As compact. Most of type errors will shift to compile time, instead of blowing during runtime. Profit.

[issaria]

F# is basically OCAML with C# interop, AFAK