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! 2023
Awards
- 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: Onwarrd! 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
- Onward! 2023
- Onward! 2022
- Onward! 2021
- Onward! 2020
- Onward! 2019
- Onward! 2018
- Onward! 2017
- Onward! 2016
- Onward! 2015
- Onward! 2014
- Onward! 2013
- Onward! 2012
- Onward! 2011
- Portland, Oregon, USA, October 25-27, 2011
- Co-located with SPLASH 2011
- General chair: Robert Hirschfeld
- General co-chair: Richard P. Gabriel
- Papers chair: Eelco Visser
- Essays chair: David West
- Keynote speaker: Markus Püschel
- http://onward-conference.org/2011/
- Onward! 2010
- Reno, Nevada, USA, October 19-21, 2010
- Co-located with SPLASH 2010
- General chair: Siobhán Clarke
- Papers chair: Kevin Sullivan
- Essays chair: Daniel Steinberg
- Keynote speaker: Benjamin C. Pierce
- http://onward-conference.org/2010/
- Onward! 2009
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Orlando, Florida, USA, October 27-29, 2009
- Co-located with OOPSLA 2009
- General chair: Bernd Bruegge
- Papers chair: Yvonne Coady
- Essays chair: Simon Peyton-Jones
- Essays assistant chair: Richard P. Gabriel
- Keynote speaker: Thomas Malone
- http://onward-conference.org/2009/
- Onward! 2008
- Onward! 2007
- Onward! 2006
- Onward! 2005
- San Diego, California, USA, October 18-20, 2005
- Co-located with OOPSLA 2005
- Co-chairs: Elisa L. A. Baniassad and James Noble
- Essays chair: Brian Marick
- Keynote speaker: Mary Beth Rosson
- http://www.oopsla.org/2005/ShowEvent.do?id=809
- Onward! 2004
- Onward! 2003
- Onward! 2002
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)