In this chapter, we had a look into the basics of programming in F# using Visual Studio. We covered a wide variety of the language and scratched the surface of functional programming, where immutability plays a key role. Throughout the chapter we started out illustrating some of F#'s language features and how to make use of the .NET framework. At the end of the chapter, we put together a simple application which shows the power and elegant syntax of F#. Functions are the main building block in any functional programming language. Building new functions from existing ones is a way of abstracting away the complexity and allows for reuse.

In the next chapter, we'll dive into more details about the F# language. You'll learn more about data structures, such as Lists, Sequences, and Arrays. You'll also learn how to structure your program using modules and namespaces, things that will become useful in larger programs. The next chapter will also introduce you to threads, thread pools, asynchronous programming using .NET, and language-specific constructs for the F# language.