Resolving names is a hard problem that permeates many aspects of programming like variable scoping, structured control flow, and method resolution. I show how a few core ideas underlie seemingly disparate parts of programming language design.
Convivial design heuristics for software systems
The theme of this workshop is the proliferation of ideas about calling into question the cultural roots of our current programming languages, and the search for alternative paradigms with other cultural bases.
Practical Foundations for Programming Languages
Systems programming the model
This paper examines the status of the language model object in generative AI, arguing that what we call a ‘model’ is inseparable from the systems deploying it. I first theorize how these objects emerge from systems-level interactions between trained artifacts, prompting mechanisms, and sampling methods, drawing on the philosophy of digital objects as well as software studies to show how models gain their objective character. Such interactions converge on programming, not prompting, language models, and I illustrate how critical code studies can therefore track these dynamics. In an overview of language model programming approaches, I discuss how prompt and program converge, demonstrating how this confluence tends toward the production of new feedback loops wherein models become models of and for themselves. Understanding these feedback loops is essential in view of recent efforts to infrastructuralize AI, in which multiple models cascade into compound systems that abstract toward a unified model of models. Thus the need, I argue, for a systems-level view that can address this new order of abstraction and complexity by identifying where and how the model emerges from the system.
LLMs as Collaborators in Language Specification and Design (PLSS 2026) - SPLASH/ISSTA 2026
Workshop on Programming Language Standardization and Specification This workshop aims to foster cross-pollination between researchers and industry professionals with experience in programming language specification and standardization. It provides a forum where participants can share insights, case studies, and best practices, and collaboratively explore solutions to current challenges. The goal of the workshop is to improve the collective understanding of how programming languages are specified, standardized, and evolved in practice. The workshop examines specifications as the foundation ...
Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names | Kalzumeus Software
Classic essay about how software routinely bumbles human names.
"Concatenative programming and stack-based languages" by Douglas Creager
Its Time for a New Programming Language
Today, when compared to any other point in programming history, we find ourselves spoiled for choice when it comes to programming…
The semantics of clear, a specification language
This paper gives a semantics for the Clear language for specifying problems and programs, described by Burstall and Goguen in 1977. A blend of denotational semantics with categorical ideas is used.
Resugaring | Proceedings of the 35th ACM SIGPLAN Conference on Programming Language Design and Implementation
Syntactic sugar plays a crucial role in engineering programming languages. It offers convenient syntax and higher-level of abstractions, as witnessed by its pervasive use in both general-purpose and domain-specific contexts. Unfortunately, the ...
Modular: The Claude C Compiler: What It Reveals About the Future of Software
Compilers occupy a special place in computer science. They're a canonical course in computer science education. Building one is a rite of passage. It forces you to confront how software actually works, by examining languages, abstractions, hardware, and the boundary between human intent and machine execution.
Slim Lim: "Concrete syntax matters, actually"
R. S. Doiel, Software Engineer/Analyst — Robert's ramblings
By R. S. Doiel, 2026-02-21 (revised: 2026-03-03, epilogue added 2026-03-27)
Coeffects: Context-aware programming languages
Interactive essay that explains theory of coeffects and lets you type-check and run sample programs.
Blog | Lexicon Community | Offprint
A working group that stewards a shared namespace for AT Protocol schemas: built in the open, governed collectively, and free for anyone to use.
