Onward!

Symposium on New Ideas in Programming and Reflections on Software (Onward!) is a forum for new ideas and paradigms for every aspect of programming. Welcomed are papers that propose and argue for new approaches to the creation of software as well as reflections on technology and ideas bearing on programming broadly construed.

A Table of Contents for the years 2002–2010.

Onward! 2024

Awards

  • Most Notable Paper Award 2024 (1) for 2011
    • Recipients: Sean McDirmid
    • Title: Coding at the Speed of Touch
    • Conference: Onward! 2011
    • Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2048237.2048246
    • Citation: This 2011 Onward! paper describes the design and implementation of YinYang, a graphical system providing a proficient programming experience for tablet devices with constrained screen space. YingYang’s tile-based approach sidestepped these devices’ limited text-editing capabilities and enabled an intuitive and effective form of direct manipulation. The work stands out as an emblematic Onward! contribution. It is notable for championing programmability on a class of traditionally “closed” devices, exploring many subtle design points of graphical and visual languages, and as a call to action for moving “beyond typewriters” and inspiring the next generation of programmers.
  • Most Notable Paper Award 2024 (2) for 2012
    • Recipients: Andrew P. Black, Kim B. Bruce, Michael Homer and James Noble
    • Title: Grace: the Absence of (Inessential) Difficulty
    • Conference: Onward! 2012
    • Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/2384592.2384601
    • Citation: In this Onward! 2012 paper, the authors distilled a tremendous effort to accommodate the needs of programming pedagogy in a new language design. The paper is a model of clarity, deftly justifying its choices while also situating Grace within the rich history of programming languages past and present. It has supported and inspired considerable follow-on work, not only on pedagogy but also in programming language research topics such as gradual typing and the semantics of object-orientation.
  • Most Notable Paper Award 2023 for 2013
    • Recipients: Sean McDirmid
    • Title: Usable Live Programming
    • Conference: Onward! 2013
    • Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2509578.2509585
    • Citation: This paper revitalized the study of live programming, introducing mechanisms that are now standard techniques in the field. The paper epitomizes the spirit of Onward!, asking risky questions outside the current discourse. In its form the paper was a breath of fresh air, enlivened by the use of comic strips. The work marked the beginning of a rich seam of research that has been productively mined at the ongoing LIVE workshop series at SPLASH.
  • Most Notable Paper Award 2020 for 2010
    • Recipients: Lennart C. L. Kats, Eelco Visser, and Guido Wachsmuth
    • Title: Pure and Declarative Syntax Definition: Paradise Lost and Regained
    • Conference: Onward! 2010
    • Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1869459.1869535
    • Citation: In a beautiful and compelling exposition, this essay lays out a research vision for realizing a declarative approach to syntax definition. Considering how we can best capture the syntactic structure of a programming language is a question near to the heart of both language design and implementation. The essay is technically interesting without getting lost in formality. Its argument for the declarative paradigm has been influential, impacting a chain of research on declarative syntax tools and helping to usher in the recent era of polyglot programming.
  • Most Notable Paper Award 2019 for 2009
    • Recipient: William R. Cook
    • Title: On Understanding Data Abstraction, Revisited
    • Conference: Onward! 2009
    • Paper: https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1640133
    • Citation: The 2009 Onward! essay “On Understanding Data Abstraction, Revisited” compares abstract data types and objects as two forms of data abstraction. In particular, the paper describes many points of differences and similarities between them clearly and comprehensively. The paper is not only most notable for summarizing a long history of discussions, but also for letting many programming language designers reflect on this topic again.
  • Most Notable Paper Award 2018 for 2008
    • Recipient: Richard P. Gabriel
    • Title: Designed as Designer
    • Conference: Onward! 2008
    • Paper: https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1449813
    • Citation: The 2008 Onward! essay “Designed as Designer” examines the nature of creativity and design, exploring poetry, architecture and software. In particular, the paper sets out to explore questions about our self-conception as computer scientists and programmers. This paper is notable for paving the way for a new track that became Essays at Onward!.
  • Most Notable Paper Award 2017 for 2007
    • Recipient: Sean McDirmid
    • Title: Living it up with a Live Programming Language
    • Conference: Onward! 2007
    • Paper: http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1297073
    • Citation: The 2007 Onward! paper “Living it up with a Live Programming Language” brought the idea of Live Programming into focus by examining the necessary mechanisms, developing a good running example, displaying a contrarian attitude, and explaining it all with admirably clear writing.
  • Most Notable Paper Award 2016 for 2006
    • Recipient: Friedrich Steimann
    • Title: The Paradoxical Success of Aspect-Oriented Programming
    • Conference: Onward! 2006
    • Paper: http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1167514
    • Citation: The 2006 Onward! Essay “The Paradoxical Success of Aspect-Oriented Programming” presents a considered and articulated exploration of the nature of aspect-oriented programming (AOP). In particular, the paper takes a hard look at the value proposed for AOP, together with an examination of what is achieved and what sacrifices appear to be necessary. The paper does not attack AOP, but rather takes a sober look at the hopes and the fears. In doing so, the paper provides a careful review that might also form the basis for progress, even if the form of progress might differ from the original promise.
  • Most Notable Paper Award 2015 for 2005
    • Recipient: Jonathan Edwards
    • Title: Subtext—Uncovering the Simplicity of Programming
    • Conference: Onward! 2005
    • Paper: http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1094811.1094851
    • Citation: The 2005 Onward! paper “Subtext—Uncovering the Simplicity of Programming” presented a new kind of programming, unifying programs and their execution, and which helped establish Onward! as a forum for high-end, lateral thinking about programming.
  • Most Notable Paper Award 2014 for 2004
    • Recipient: Tim Sheard
    • Title: Languages of the Future
    • Conference: Onward! 2004
    • Paper: http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1052883.1052897
    • Citation: The 2004 Onward! paper “Languages of the Future” pioneered the idea of lightweight dependently-typed programming, and idea that has since found its way into several languages, and continues to progress today. This paper is notable for bringing together complex ideas in a compelling way; pointing to how they could be incorporated into “ordinary” languages; and influencing the practical world of software development with this pearl of a design.
  • Most Notable Paper Award 2013 for 2003
    • Recipient: Martin Rinard
    • Title: Acceptability-oriented Computing
    • Conference: Onward! 2003
    • Paper: http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=949344.949402
    • Citation: The 2003 Onward! paper “Acceptability-Oriented Computing” introduced the approach of defining the boundaries of acceptable program behavior for a software system, and then augmenting the original system by layering components to enforce those boundaries—this instead of attempting to construct a completely error-free system. This paper led to a still-expanding series of papers exploring this approach, its capabilities, and its benefits.
  • Most Notable Paper Award 2012 for 2002
    • Recipients: James Noble and Robert Biddle
    • Title: Notes on Postmodern Programming
    • Conference: Onward! 2002
    • Paper: http://www.sigplan.org/sites/default/files/Onward!Proceedings-2002.pdf
    • Citation: The 2002 Onward! paper “Notes on Postmodern Programming” uses postmodern concepts to understand contemporary programming, especially as software grows in scale and design is dispersed to a diversity of stakeholders. This paper is notable because it triggered a storm of immediate responses and ongoing discussion on the Web; it introduced the essay genre to the programming community and cut the path that led to a new technical track at Onward! (Essays); and it stated for the first time the philosophical model of at-scale software development that dominates today.

Past Events

Steering Committee Members

Present

  • Jonathan Aldrich, Carnegie Mellon University, USA (Past SC Chair 2021-2023, SC Chair 2018-2020, SPLASH General Chair 2015)
  • Elisa Baniassad, University of British Columbia, Canada (Essays Chair 2021, SC Chair 2011-2013, Co-chair 2005)
  • Wolfgang De Meuter, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium (Papers Chair 2021)
  • Robert Hirschfeld, HPI and University of Potsdam, Germany (Essays Chair 2023, Past SC Chair 2018-2021, SC Chair 2015-2018, Papers Chair 2013, General Chair 2011)
  • Ranjit Jhala, University of California at San Diego, USA (SIGPLAN 2021)
  • Stephen Kell, University of Kent, United Kingdom (Papers Chair 2020)
  • Hidehiko Masuhara, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan (Papers Chair 2019)
  • Tomas Petricek, University of Kent, UK (Essays Chair 2019)
  • Hridesh Rajan, Iowa State University, USA (SPLASH General Chair 2020-2021)
  • Yannis Smaragdakis, University of Athens, Greece (SPLASH General Chair 2019)
  • Tijs van der Storm, CWI and University of Groningen, Netherlands (Papers Chair 2023)
  • Didier Verna, EPITA / LRDE, France (Essays Chair 2020)

Past

  • Robert Biddle, Carleton University, Canada (Essays Chair 2017, Chair 2006)
  • Andrew Black (SPLASH General Chair 2014)
  • Elisa Gonzalez Boix, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium (Papers Chair 2018)
  • Bernd Bruegge (Essays Chair 2014, Essays Chair 2013, General Chair 2009)
  • Siobhán Clarke (General Chair 2010)
  • Yvonne Coady (Papers Chair 2009)
  • Geoff A. Cohen (Chair 2004)
  • Jonathan Edwards (Papers Chair 2012)
  • Richard P. Gabriel, Dreamsongs and Hasso Plattner Institute, USA (Essays Chair 2018, General Co-chair 2011, Essays Assistant Chair 2009, Chair 2003, Chair 2002, Founding Chair)
  • Jeremy Gibbons (SIGPLAN 2012-2015)
  • Robert Hirschfeld, Hasso Plattner Institute and University of Potsdam, Germany (Past SC Chair 2018-2020, SC Chair 2015-2018, Papers Chair 2013, General Chair 2011)
  • Antony Hosking (SPLASH 2013 General Chair)
  • Shriram Krishnamurthi (Papers Chair 2014)
  • Cristina Videira Lopes (Essays Chair 2016, PC Chair 2007)
  • Brian Marick (Essays Chair 2005)
  • Gail Murphy, University of British Columbia, Canada (SPLASH General Chair 2017, Papers Chair 2015)
  • Emerson Murphy-Hill (Papers Chair 2016)
  • James Noble (Co-chair 2005)
  • Simon Peyton-Jones (Essays Chair 2009)
  • Benjamin C. Pierce, University of Pennsylvania, USA (SIGPLAN 2018-2020)
  • Dirk Riehle (PC Chair 2008)
  • Julie Steele (Essays Chair 2012)
  • Guy L. Steele Jr. (Essays Chair 2015)
  • Daniel Steinberg (Essays Chair 2010)
  • Tijs van der Storm (Papers Co-chair 2017)
  • Kevin Sullivan (Past SC Chair 2015-2018, SC Chair 2013-2015, Papers Chair 2010)
  • Peter Thiemann (SIGPLAN 2015-2018)
  • Emina Torlak, University of Washington, USA (Papers Chair 2017)
  • Eelco Visser (SPLASH General Chair 2016, Papers Chair 2011)
  • Jan Vitek, Northeastern University, USA (SPLASH General Chair 2018)
  • David West (Essays Chair 2011)