Will Crichton

"In a language for learners, we still believe [dynamic scoping] is the correct choice. If a variable exists, it's visible."

A version of Logo was developed for Atari, which apparently was once in the PC industry. They even had Alan Kay as chief scientist! Alan Kay said about his departure from Atari: "I guess the tree of research must from time to time be refreshed with the blood of bean counters.''

Bjarne Stroustrup now presenting the modern history of C++. It's his third paper at HOPL, the only language to appear three times! Testament to the enduring legacy of a time-tested language. (Caveat: I have sworn to never use C++ again. )

"Typical request: * Simplify C++ * Add these two new features * Don't break my code"

Q: Thoughts on dialects, e.g. C++ w/o exceptions? A: I really dislike dialects, because you can't communicate or share. Dialects usually ban features, and that's wrong, the complexity just goes elsewhere. Some of the fastest code I've seen carefully uses exceptions.