Book excerpt: Master the fundamentals of Scala and understand its emphasis on functional programming that sets it apart from Java. This book will help you translate what you already know in Java to Scala to start your functional programming journey. Learn Scala is split into four parts: a tour of Scala, a comparison between Java and Scala, Scala-specific features and functional programming idioms, and finally a discussion about adopting Scala in existing Java teams and legacy projects. After reading and using this tutorial, you'll come away with the skills in Scala to kick-start your productivity with this growing popular language. What You'll Learn Tour Scala and learn the basic syntax, constructs, and how to use the REPL Translate Java syntax that you already know into Scala Learn what Scala offers over and above Java Become familiar with functional programming concepts and idioms Gain tips and advice useful when transitioning existing Java projects to Scala Who This Book Is For Java developers looking to transition to Scala. No prior experience necessary in Scala.