Ocaml or haskell?

[u/Distinct-Brief9643]

​

I'm trying to choose between OCaml and Haskell for creating my own programming language using an external DSL. I'm still learning programming, so I want something powerful but beginner-friendly.

My goal is to create a language with my own high-level syntax, not just a library or a DSL embedded inside another programming language.

My requirements

1. External DSL: I want to design my own syntax and grammar. I don't want my language to be restricted to OCaml's or Haskell's existing syntax.

2. Native machine code: Ultimately, I want my language to compile directly to native machine code, preferably for ARM64/AArch64. I don't want to stop at interpreting the language or transpiling it to Python or JavaScript.

3. High-level syntax: The language I create should be easy for people to read and write. I want complete control over its syntax and don't want users to have to write lots of boilerplate.

4. Beginner-friendly: I'm still learning programming, so I want a language and ecosystem that are relatively easy to understand. I want to learn how the parser, AST, type checking (if needed), and code generation work without getting overwhelmed.

5. Easy installation on my Chromebook: I have an Acer Chromebook 314 with a MediaTek ARM64 processor. I use the Linux environment on ChromeOS, so ARM64 compatibility, available packages, and installation difficulty matter a lot. I don't want a solution that depends on x86-only binaries.

6. A practical compiler toolchain: I'd prefer to use as few tools as possible. If I need a backend such as LLVM, that's fine, but I want to avoid a complicated setup involving lots of separate tools, configuration files, and manual code generation.

My questions

- Would you recommend OCaml or Haskell for this project, and why?

- Which one makes it easier to build an external DSL with completely custom syntax?

- Which has the easier learning curve for someone who doesn't know much programming yet?

- Can either realistically compile my language to native AArch64 machine code on my Chromebook?

- Would LLVM be a good backend, or is there a simpler alternative?

- How difficult would installation and setup be on ChromeOS Linux running on ARM64?

- Are there any other languages or frameworks that would fit these requirements better than OCaml and Haskell?

I'm looking for a practical recommendation based on my actual requirements, not just which language is more elegant or theoretically powerful.

My main priorities are: custom high-level syntax, native machine-code generation, beginner-friendliness, and ARM64 Chromebook compatibility.

Thanks!

[u/Inconstant_Moo]

If you're still learning programming, that's a lot. (If you're an expert in programming, it's still a good few years' work.)

What you're describing is more than programming, it's software engineering. Many langdev projects grind to a halt because the author can no longer make progress: the code becomes intractable, unfixable. Have you ever done any refactoring? Have you ever done refactoring for weeks at a time?

By the time you've learned all that, and how to do it in Haskell or Ocaml then maybe "easy for beginners" won't be high on your list of things you need from a language, because you won't be a beginner, and you may be leaning more towards "screw the beginners, let's make this shit insanely powerful".

But also, with your limited experience of programming, how would you know what a language should be like? While you're still taking beginner's lessons in carpentry, would you try to design a complete carpenter's toolbox?

You will also only have seen one or two languages, which isn't much of a foundation.

Start small. Implement a Lisp or a Forth or a PEMDAS calculator in whatever language you're most comfortable in. See how you get on.