Type Theory Forall #55 The Death of OO, The Beauty of Scheme, BobKonf, and FunArch - Mike Sperber
Oct 27, 2025
Mike Sperber, CEO of Active Group and a veteran in functional programming, shares his insights on the evolution of programming languages, particularly Scheme and its role in modern software development. He raises compelling points about the decline of Object-Oriented Programming and discusses the significance of mathematics in programming. Mike also delves into the dynamics of the Scheme R6RS standards committee, the creation of conferences like BobKonf, and the challenges of teaching functional programming effectively in industry settings.
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From Basement Hacker To Scheme Advocate
- Mike learned programming from early home computers and a national contest that led to collaboration and a book project.
- His early exposure to SICP and Scheme shaped a practical, architecture-focused approach to software.
A Functional PhD: Theater Lighting System
- Mike's PhD produced a stage lighting control system implemented functionally and still usable decades later.
- The project showed functional programming can deliver robust, real-world end-user systems.
Math Reflects Human Cognitive Patterns
- Mathematics encodes brain-friendly patterns that make software models easier to reason about.
- Algebraic structures (like semigroups) are valuable because they mirror cognitive patterns, not because they magically derive from domains.
