100 SML COMMANDS

Learning Standard ML (SML) can be very rewarding—especially if your goal is to become a strong programmer, not just to learn another syntax. Here’s why people still choose to learn it:

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1️⃣ It makes you a better thinker

SML forces you to think in terms of:

Immutability

Pure functions

Strong types

This trains your brain to reason clearly about code, reduce bugs, and write logic that actually works.

👉 Many programmers say: “After ML, everything else feels easier.”

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2️⃣ One of the best type systems ever

SML has:

Static typing

Type inference (no need to write types everywhere)

Algebraic data types

Pattern matching

The compiler catches errors before your program runs.

💡 If SML compiles, it’s usually correct.

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3️⃣ You truly learn functional programming

Unlike languages that add FP as a feature, SML is:

Functional by design

Clean and mathematically sound

Concepts you master in SML:

Recursion

Higher-order functions

Immutability

Pattern matching

These skills transfer directly to:

Haskell

OCaml

F#

Scala

Even JavaScript, Python, and Rust

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4️⃣ Excellent foundation for computer science

SML is widely used in:

University CS courses

Compilers

Programming language theory

Formal methods

If you want to understand:

How compilers work

How languages are designed

How interpreters are built

👉 SML is a perfect tool.

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5️⃣ Less code, fewer bugs

SML programs are:

Short

Expressive

Easy to refactor

Example:

fun sum [] = 0

| sum (x::xs) = x + sum xs

Readable. Correct. Safe.

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6️⃣ You gain discipline

SML doesn’t let you:

Mutate everything

Ignore types

Write sloppy logic

This discipline carries over to any language you use later.

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7️⃣ Still relevant today

SML influenced many modern languages:

Rust (pattern matching + enums)

Swift (enums with values)

Kotlin (sealed classes)

TypeScript (type safety ideas)

Learning SML means understanding where modern languages come from.

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When SML is a