What is a Programming System?

It's been a while since I realised that programming isn't inherently about languages. That is, unless you adopt a rather expansive definition of "language" so it includes things like diagrams, sequences of interactions, and so forth. The general effect of programming, i.e. of creating or modifying computer software, is often conflated with the specific means …

Primitive instructions for nested trees

The context is my recent LIVE 2021 submission. It got rejected, but the feedback was good and I'm still continuing where it left off. The Assembler level Here is how I came up with the primitive instruction types. (A rationalised, smoothed-over derivation, much cleaner than it actually happened of course.) Here's our basic task: lift …

SPLASH 2020 retrospective

Back in November I attended the annual conference in Systems, Programming Languages and Applications: Software for Humanity (or, SPLASH). It was held on a custom online platform called Clowdr, and while it wasn't perfectly free of bugs, I was impressed at how well it replicated much of the conference experience (many small videoconferencing rooms). While …

Tumbleweed.gif

Unfortunately, I fell silent this year, at least on this blog. I feel it's the wrong place here to describe in detail why I think this happened, because I prefer to keep this blog committed to my ideas and not merely what happens in my life. But like all abstractions, it's a leaky one and …

Notes on single-var calculus

Calculus is really cool and rich. NB: This isn't what I've been researching for the past few months -- that's coming soon. I'm sick of having this 2-year-old draft sitting around so I'm finishing it. NB: I read this back and my eyes do the usual thing where all the equations turn into so I …

Big reading list

Very happy to spend the first year of my PhD reducing my ignorance about what has gone before me. Note that I have a duty not merely to read, but to compress (for the interested), focus (for my own research), bring together (common ideas and themes) and synthesise (if I didn't have anything to add, …

Old notes on viewports, GUIs

I'm delighted to have just started my PhD which will, I think, breathe new life and energy into writing for this blog. The next thing I want to do is explore the concept of "Mess" -- the antagonism between the "modernist" compulsion to bulldoze it away and force aesthetically elegant structure, versus "post-modern" embracing of …

Post-tutorial tour of GameMaker

I've been really impressed with "GameMaker Studio 2" after returning to it at long last. Particularly at the streamlining of its user interface and documentation compared to when I last used it. (I am slightly sad that there's no unlimited free trial anymore, but at least "sorry, purchase the Pro edition for the privilege to …

Biting the (obj_)bullet

It's happened. The energy slowly building up over many years has finally overflowed the potential barrier and caused action to occur. I have at long last gritted my teeth, swallowed my ego and completed my long orbit to return to my starting position... I have once again downloaded GameMaker! What is now clear is that …

Kent PhD proposal

I'm delighted to have accepted an offer to study at the University of Kent for a full-time PhD this September. I spent January doing most of the work for this which is why I didn't publish any posts that month. But now I've finally got round to the task of announcing it here. Back in …