Initial commit: Elm tutorial for JavaScript developers

This tutorial includes:
- 7 progressive lessons covering Elm fundamentals
- Exercises with starter code
- Solutions for exercises
- Final project: Task Manager app with localStorage persistence

Topics covered:
- Basic syntax and types
- Functions and functional programming concepts
- The Elm Architecture (Model-View-Update)
- Lists and Maybe types
- HTTP requests and JSON decoding
- Ports for JavaScript interop

README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+# Elm Tutorial for JavaScript Developers
+
+Welcome! This tutorial is designed for developers with JavaScript experience who want to learn Elm. We'll leverage your existing knowledge while introducing functional programming concepts gradually.
+
+## What is Elm?
+
+Elm is a functional programming language that compiles to JavaScript. It's known for:
+
+- **No runtime exceptions** - The compiler catches errors before your code runs
+- **Friendly error messages** - Best-in-class compiler messages that help you fix issues
+- **Enforced semantic versioning** - Package updates never break your code unexpectedly
+- **Small bundle sizes** - Elm produces highly optimized JavaScript
+
+## Why Learn Elm?
+
+As a JavaScript developer, Elm will teach you:
+
+1. Pure functional programming patterns
+2. Strong static typing (that actually helps rather than hinders)
+3. Immutable data structures
+4. A clean architecture pattern (The Elm Architecture inspired Redux!)
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- Basic JavaScript knowledge
+- Familiarity with HTML
+- A code editor (VS Code recommended with the Elm extension)
+
+## Setup
+
+### 1. Install Elm
+
+**macOS (Homebrew):**
+```bash
+brew install elm
+```
+
+**Linux/macOS (npm):**
+```bash
+npm install -g elm
+```
+
+**Windows:**
+Download the installer from [elm-lang.org](https://guide.elm-lang.org/install/elm.html)
+
+### 2. Verify Installation
+
+```bash
+elm --version
+# Should output something like: 0.19.1
+```
+
+### 3. Install Helpful Tools
+
+```bash
+# Elm formatter (like Prettier for Elm)
+npm install -g elm-format
+
+# Elm test runner
+npm install -g elm-test
+
+# Development server with hot reloading
+npm install -g elm-live
+```
+
+### 4. Editor Setup
+
+For VS Code, install the "Elm" extension by Elm tooling. This gives you:
+- Syntax highlighting
+- Auto-formatting on save
+- Inline error messages
+- Go to definition
+
+## Tutorial Structure
+
+| Lesson | Topic | Key Concepts |
+|--------|-------|--------------|
+| 1 | [Introduction & First Program](lessons/01-introduction.md) | REPL, Hello World, elm.json |
+| 2 | [Basic Syntax & Types](lessons/02-basics.md) | Values, Types, Type Annotations |
+| 3 | [Functions](lessons/03-functions.md) | Pure Functions, Currying, Pipes |
+| 4 | [The Elm Architecture](lessons/04-tea.md) | Model, View, Update |
+| 5 | [Lists & Maybe](lessons/05-lists-maybe.md) | Collections, Null Safety |
+| 6 | [HTTP & JSON](lessons/06-http-json.md) | Commands, Decoders |
+| 7 | [Final Project](lessons/07-final-project.md) | Building a Complete App |
+
+## How to Use This Tutorial
+
+1. **Read each lesson** in order - concepts build on each other
+2. **Type the code yourself** - don't just copy-paste
+3. **Complete the exercises** - they reinforce learning
+4. **Experiment** - break things, see what errors you get
+
+## Quick Reference: JavaScript to Elm
+
+Here's a preview of how familiar JavaScript concepts translate to Elm:
+
+```javascript
+// JavaScript
+const name = "Alice";
+const add = (a, b) => a + b;
+const numbers = [1, 2, 3];
+const doubled = numbers.map(n => n * 2);
+```
+
+```elm
+-- Elm
+name = "Alice"
+add a b = a + b
+numbers = [1, 2, 3]
+doubled = List.map (\n -> n * 2) numbers
+```
+
+## Getting Help
+
+- [Official Elm Guide](https://guide.elm-lang.org/)
+- [Elm Slack](https://elmlang.herokuapp.com/)
+- [Elm Discourse](https://discourse.elm-lang.org/)
+- [Elm Packages](https://package.elm-lang.org/)
+
+---
+
+Ready? Let's start with [Lesson 1: Introduction](lessons/01-introduction.md)!