WIP documentation index page

Author: heathermiller

index.md

@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 ---
 layout: inner-page-documentation
 title: Documentation
-redirect_from:
-  - /what-is-scala/
-includeTOC: true
+#redirect_from:
+#  - /what-is-scala/
+#includeTOC: true
 
 # Content masthead links
 links:
@@ -27,110 +27,23 @@ links:
     description: "Books and online exercises"
     icon: "fa fa-book"
     link: /learn.html
+  - title: "Learning Resources"
+    description: "Books and online exercises"
+    icon: "fa fa-book"
+    link: /learn.html    
+  - title: "Reference"
+    description: "Search the API, read the language spec, and the glossary"
+    icon: "fa fa-database"
+    link: /reference.html
+  - title: "Learning Resources"
+    description: "Books and online exercises"
+    icon: "fa fa-book"
+    link: /learn.html
+  - title: "Learning Resources"
+    description: "Books and online exercises"
+    icon: "fa fa-book"
+    link: /learn.html    
 
----
-
-# What is Scala?
-
-## A Scalable language
-
-Scala is an acronym for "Scalable Language". This means that
-Scala grows with you. You can play with it by typing one-line
-expressions and observing the results.  But you can also rely on it
-for large mission critical systems, as many companies, including
-Twitter, LinkedIn, or Intel do.
-
-To some, Scala feels like a scripting language. Its syntax is concise
-and low ceremony; its types get out of the way because the compiler
-can infer them.  There's a REPL and IDE worksheets for quick
-feedback. Developers like it so much that Scala won the ScriptBowl
-contest at the 2012 JavaOne conference.
-
-At the same time, Scala is the preferred workhorse language for many
-mission critical server systems. The generated code is on a par with
-Java's and its precise typing means that many problems are caught at
-compile-time rather than after deployment.
-
-At the root, the language's scalability is the result of a careful
-integration of object-oriented and functional language concepts.
-
-## Object-Oriented
-
-Scala is a pure-bred object-oriented language. Conceptually, every
-value is an object and every operation is a method-call. The language
-supports advanced component architectures through classes and traits.
-
-Many traditional design patterns in other languages are already
-natively supported. For instance, singletons are supported through
-object definitions and visitors are supported through pattern
-matching. Using implicit classes, Scala even allows you to add new operations
-to existing classes, no matter whether they come from Scala or Java!
-
-## Functional
-
-Even though its syntax is fairly conventional, Scala is also a
-full-blown functional language. It has everything you would expect,
-including first-class functions, a library with efficient immutable
-data structures, and a general preference of immutability
-over mutation.
-
-Unlike with many traditional functional languages, Scala allows a
-gradual, easy migration to a more functional style. You can start to
-use it as a "Java without semicolons". Over time, you can progress to
-gradually eliminate mutable state in your applications, phasing in
-safe functional composition patterns instead. As Scala programmers we
-believe that this progression is often a good idea. At the same time,
-Scala is not opinionated; you can use it with any style you prefer.
-
-## Seamless Java Interop
-
-Scala runs on the JVM. Java and Scala classes can be freely mixed, no
-matter whether they reside in different projects or in the same. They can
-even mutually refer to each other, the Scala compiler contains a
-subset of a Java compiler to make sense of such recursive
-dependencies.
-
-Java libraries, frameworks and tools are all available. Build tools
-like ant or maven, IDEs like Eclipse, IntelliJ, or Netbeans,
-frameworks like Spring or Hibernate all work seamlessly with Scala.
-Scala runs on all common JVMs and also on Android.
-
-The Scala community is an important part of the Java
-ecosystem. Popular Scala frameworks, including Akka, Finagle, and the
-Play web framework include dual APIs for Java and Scala.
-
-## Functions are Objects
-
-Scala's approach is to develop a small set of core constructs that can
-be combined in flexible ways. This applies also to its object-oriented
-and functional natures. Features from both sides are unified to a
-degree where Functional and Object-oriented can be seen as two sides
-of the same coin.
-
-Some examples: Functions in Scala are objects. The function type is
-just a regular class. The algebraic data types found in languages such
-as Haskell, F# or ML are modelled in Scala as class
-hierarchies. Pattern matching is possible over arbitrary classes.
-
-## Future-Proof
-
-Scala particularly shines when it comes to scalable server software
-that makes use of concurrent and synchronous processing, parallel
-utilization of multiple cores, and distributed processing in the
-cloud.
-
-Its functional nature makes it easier to write safe and performant
-multi-threaded code. There's typically less reliance on mutable state
-and Scala's futures and actors provide powerful tools for organizing
-concurrent system at a high-level of abstraction.
-
-## Fun
 
-Maybe most important is that programming in Scala tends to be very
-enjoyable.  No boilerplate, rapid iteration, but at the same time the
-safety of a strong static type system. As [Graham Tackley from the
-Guardian says](http://www.infoq.com/articles/guardian_scala): *"We've found that Scala has enabled us to deliver
-things faster with less code. It's reinvigorated the team."*
 
-If you haven't yet, try it out! [Here are some resources to get
-started](./documentation).
+---