Is the programming language Racket used in the real world?
Asked by
Mariah (
17445
)
January 18th, 2012
I’m learning Racket in a class now. I like it because it’s simple, but many people complain that the skill doesn’t translate well to learning other languages (the syntax is very different from C++, which is the only other language I’m familiar with), and that Racket itself is not a very useful language to know because it’s not used in the “real world.” Are there real-world applications for Racket? What are they?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
7 Answers
Hmm, I’ve never heard of it before (but there are a lot of languages out there).
It’s not in the top 50 on the TIOBE index, but it is currently #46 on github’s popularity list so there are people using it. Sounds like it is an interesting language for teaching concepts, but isn’t used a whole lot.
If you’re looking for real world applications, they are probably somewhere in here: https://github.com/languages/Racket
There’s an interesting article on Racket in the current issue of CACM; it illustrates the use of Racket by stepping through the development of a game:
The text-adventure example presented here illustrates the progression from a simple embedding in Racket to a separate domain-specific language (including IDE support for syntax coloring), explaining relevant Racket details along the way; no prior knowledge of Racket is necessary. Readers who prefer a more complete introduction to the language should consult The Racket Guide.
Well, I think I’ve just found what I’m going to be spending the next week or so doing; I’ve always wanted to make a text-adventure game…
On topic, it seems like @ratboy‘s linked article suggests that Racket is more similar to other game-developing languages than the traditional general use ones (though I could be completely wrong on that front).
Hmm, I looked at it a little bit more, but I don’t see how it is significantly better/different than any other LISP dialect. If I was going to learn something LISP-y and more practical, I’d personally go for clojure (currently ranked #22 on github).
Sorry, never heard of it. And I’m a software developer by profession. Although what languages are “hot” today will be gone tomorrow, you want to learn the “hot” languages while they’re “hot” so you can get a job when you graduate and then let your skills evolve with the industry… A few years ago, some schools were pushing ASPX.NET as the web language to end all web languages. Guess what? A largely home-grown language took the development community by storm and is what has become PHP as nearly the de-facto web development platform along with MySQL.
Response moderated (Off-Topic)
There’s an answer over at SO which might also be helpful – link
Answer this question 
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.
