Category: Events

Language Workbench Competition

I’m actually pretty close to having all of the MetaSharp grammars translated into .g files and Attila is working on the msbuild compiler components. Once we have them both done and merged we will have achieved dogfood status. There are plenty of Grammar and Lang features I want to work on still but the next major feature will be the Language Workbench, or in other words the interactive editor (I want to have some type of grammar REPL for the tclangug presentation I will be giving next month at least).

I just recently learned about the Code Generation Conference and now I am learning that there was also a Language Workbench website and that they sponsored a competition that went along with the conference. The most interesting part of this is the description of what a language workbench should do and how to rate them:

http://www.languageworkbenches.net/LWCTask-1.0.pdf

Which almost reads like a workbench spec! So this is very exciting, I have been thinking about what a MetaSharp workbench should be like and I think that I have a pretty good idea of what the external expectations are now, so this is good.

What’s funny about MetaSharp is that it is designed to solve all of the “Advanced” scenarios but currently doesn’t solve any of the “Basic” scenarios, lol. I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad sign yet…

Code Generation Conference

http://www.codegeneration.net/cg2011/

Oh how I wish I had known about and attended this! I’m not sure how I’ll be able to attend given it’s European location but it sounds really interesting. And of course the keynote title might be one of my new favorite technology quotes ever:

Why program by hand in five days what you can spend five years of your life automating?

Farewell Bob Pappas

Today was Bob‘s last day at Microsoft. He was the project manager of Sketch Flow and his contribution will be remembered. Bob leaves to join Apple where he will work on iPhoto and he will be replaced by Dave Carley as project manager of Sketch Flow. For those who didn’t know Sketch Flow is developed almost exclusively here in Minnesota.

Farewell Bob and good luck Dave!

IMAG0143

This is a photo of some of the Microsoft Twin Cities Development Center bowling at Bryant Lake Bowl. Bob stands at the left.

Morcheeba at First Avenue

Last night I went to see one of my favorite bands of the 90’s, Morcheeba. I spent many hours listening to Big Calm and it’s one of my favorite all time albums. Last night I finally got to fulfill my long time wish to see them live and they didn’t disappoint. Skye’s voice sounded exactly like it does in their recordings; smoky, sensual and in a word sultry. Here are a few images I snapped with my cell phone.

 

Here is my all time favorite Morcheeba song, The Sea: