Papers I liked
Papers I liked
The Synthesis
of Algorithmic Systems by Alan J. Perlis
Historical curiosity from the era where software was just beginning to
emerge as a serious object of study, in which Perlis outlines a vague
vision of future programming UX that is more flexible, interactive,
general, and high-level. Shortly after this lecture, some of these
ideasâportability, metaprogramming, interpretation, first-class
functions, syntax for parallel and distributed control flow, facilities
for implementing new data structures, and formal semantics of PLâwere
formalized and accomplished and now form the basis of the field of
programming languages (think Java, C++ templating, ML, CSP and its
successors, and ISWIM); while those that werenât formalizedâliveness,
interactivity, syntax variationâwere essentially forgotten, at least in
the mainstream. Racket, Clojure, and Smalltalk carry on some of his
vision; experimental research projects carry on others. Funny how we can
never tell what will be solved in a handful of years and what will elude
us for over half a century. Reading old lectures where the formalisms
are still in flux has the wonderful effect of unmooring the imagination,
inviting one to dream differently and question foundational assumptions.
I highly recommend it.
- Do Artifacts Have
Politics? by Langdon Winner
- The Next 700 Programming
Languages by Peter Landin
- As We May Think by
Vannevar Bush - speculative precursor to hypertext and the web
- A Relational Model of Larged
Shared Data Banks by Edgar Codd - invention of relational databases
and precursor to SQL
- Communicating Sequential
Processes by Tony Hoare
- The Varieties of
Programming Language by Tony Hoare
- Digging for Fold:
Synthesis-Aided API Discovery for Haskell by James et al
- The Early History of
Smalltalk by Alan Kay