Verse, Haskell & Core Language Design (with Simon Peyton Jones)

Jan 31, 2024

Simon Peyton Jones, a veteran language designer and researcher, talks about building a large language from a small, tightly designed core. He discusses his work on the Verse programming language which blends functional programming with logic languages like Prolog. Simon also discusses the importance of teaching computer science in education and reshaping the way it is taught in England.

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Introduction

00:00 • 3min

Contributions to Functional Programming and Core Languages

03:19 • 25min

Beta Reduction in Lambda Calculus

28:24 • 12min

Developing Verse and its Impact

39:56 • 20min

Designing Verse: Progress, Potential, and Papers

59:36 • 5min

Longevity of Programming Languages and Passing on Big Ideas to the Next Generation

01:04:19 • 2min

Changes in the UK's National Curriculum

01:06:19 • 12min

International Reach and Equivalent Organizations

01:18:05 • 2min

Importance of Education in Computer Science and Programming

01:20:08 • 3min

This week we talk to Simon Peyton Jones, a veteran language designer and researcher, and key figure in the development of Haskell. Haskell. Simon has made countless contributions to advancement of functional programming, and computer programming in general, and is currently working at Epic Games, working on the foundations of their new programming language, Verse.

We discuss how programming languages are made, focussing on a big design idea from both Haskell and Verse: building a large language from a small, tightly designed core. Then we move into Simon's current work exploring Functional Logic Programming, the big new idea that underpins Verse. It's an idea that blends the fundamentals FP with the core ideas of logic languages like Prolog in an entirely new way. Not even Simon knows exactly where the idea will lead, but it's a fascinating idea that could potentially bring constraint-solving and deduction right into the heart of modern software.

Additionally, Simon discusses his involvement in reshaping the way we teach computing in England. He's been working hard to give computing education the same importance as the teaching of mathematics and sciences - something we should all have a fundamental understanding of.

Simon's one of the smartest, nicest people in programming. Come as hear his brilliant brain at work. :-D

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Verse: https://github.com/UnrealVerseGuru/VerseProgrammingLanguage

The Verse Language Reference: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/verse-language-reference

The Verse Calculus [pdf]: https://simon.peytonjones.org/assets/pdfs/verse-March23.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Peyton_Jones

The LogicT monad: https://hackage.haskell.org/package/logict

Can programming be liberated from the von Neumann style?: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/359576.359579

CAS - Computing At School: https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/

Computer Science Teachers Association: https://csteachers.org/

Kris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/krisajenkins

Kris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisjenkins/