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I dabbled in scala for a while a few years ago and ultimately decided not to invest the time becoming an expert in it for the following reasons. 1) Slow compile times, I really value fast feedback and if it takes me over a second to compile and run a unit test that just doesn't cut it for me. 2) No clear idiomatic style and having many different ways of doing things each of which can imply different behaviour in different contexts.

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I used to feel the same way about fast feedback, but after working on slower to compile applications for a few years, I'm not sure it's a good way of working.

When I used to work like that, I'd write code, and constantly be checking that it compiled. I'd be watching my test dashboard and feel happy turning the lights green. But it was definitely a crutch.

If you asked me to code without a compiler I'd make basic syntax errors. I'd let basic, predicable bugs slip through because they weren't covered by my tests. In my rush to turn the next light green, I wasn't thinking enough.

Maybe that's not how you work, but if it is, try building once a day and turning syntax highlighting off for a couple weeks. For me, (being forced to) work like that for a while has helped me long term.

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