The Howdy Glossary

Clean, developed by Rinus Plasmeijer at the Radboud University Nijmegen in the 1980s, is a state-of-the-art functional programming language designed as a successor to ABC. It supports graphics and animation and features a sophisticated type system with existential and uniqueness types to prevent side effects. Clean excels in rapid prototyping of software systems through powerful abstraction mechanisms like higher-order functions, novel control structures such as comprehensions, and efficient graph rewriting strategies for execution on both sequential and parallel architectures.

Clean's unique combination of features sets it apart from other functional programming languages. Its support for graphics and animation extends its applicability beyond traditional tasks, while existential types and uniqueness types enhance code safety by preventing side effects. Fast prototyping is facilitated by strong abstraction mechanisms and innovative control structures, making Clean ideal for developing software systems swiftly. Efficient execution strategies optimize performance across various architectures, highlighting Clean's competitive edge within the functional programming landscape.

Faced with competition from languages like Haskell, Erlang, Scala, F#, and OCaml—each with distinct strengths—Clean differentiates itself through its versatile feature set tailored to diverse applications. The emphasis on graphical capabilities along with fast development cycles appeals to developers needing rapid prototyping capability without sacrificing code predictability or performance optimization. Thus, Clean provides a comprehensive platform for users prioritizing expressiveness, safety, and efficiency in their functional programming projects.