# My first experiment writing code in Scala _(This post was written on Nov 17, 2016. For some reason I forgot to publish it at that time)._ For the past few days, I have been assigned a small programming task which should be done in [Scala](https://www.scala-lang.org/). This is part of a hiring process and I have been asked to implement the server side of a tic-tac-toe game in Scala providing a REST API. For the past few days, I have been assigned a small programming task which should be done in Scala. Now, this is the first time I am writing code in Scala language ever. So although I am not a professional Scala developer yet, I thought I should write down about my experience here. ## The Good I really like the language. It is simple and straight-forward. The [principle of least astonishment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_least_astonishment) was obeyed and I had very little surprises when I wanted to see how something is done, which is really good. One of the positive points was the fact that there is no separation between primitive and Object-based data types. So we have “`Int`” and not “`int`” + “`Integer`” (Like Java). This helps a lot. I also liked the way objects are defined: Like a function which accepts a set of inputs: `class Game(`val `player1: String,` val `player2: String) { ... }` Also the \``var`\` and \`val\` separation is really encouraging the developer to make the best decision about the immutability of the data he is working with. It makes you think in a new way. In Scala, you can use Java libraries easily without any pain. That gives you access to thousands of valuable frameworks and modules. ## The Bad Well, this section is mostly personal preference. In Scala (unlike C and Java and similar languages), you should obey “`variable` name : `type`” rule which is not normal for me, considering the fact that I have worked for many years in C-like languages which have: “`type variable_name`” notation. The “`=`” notation when defining a function which is returning a value, does not seem natural to me. Usually, you use “`=`” when you want to assign a value to a variable but the functions are not variables! Same for the “`<-`” notation which is used to iterate over a collection. Also I noticed there is no “`break/continue`” keywords in Scala. Well, it is possible to “`simulate`” them using a set of built-in keywords and exceptions, but seriously! exceptions are not invented to break out of a for loop! You should not use them to control program execution.