Help, please! Do you know any applications of my work?

When writing an application, it sometimes help if I can point out that monads and type classes, which my research contributed to, are used to process every post on Facebook. (Via Haxl. Thanks, Simon Marlow!)

Do you know of other applications of my work? If so, please email me or list them in the comments. (You can find my email at the bottom of my home page.)

Possible example: I gather Twitter uses monads and implicits in Scala (where implicits were influenced by type classes), but it's hard to find confirmation online. Do you know whether they are used, and how heavily? (It's easier to find such confirmation for The Guardian.)

Possible example: Do you make heavy use of generics in Java? I contributed to their design.

Possible example: I gather protocols in Swift are in part inspired by type classes, but it is hard to find confirmation online. Can you point me to confirmation?

There are many other possibilities. I hope you know some I haven't dreamed of!

Many thanks for your help. Answers are welcome at any time, but would be most useful if they can be provided by 2 September 2022.

Intersectional Types

Chris Martens (@chrisamaphone) has founded Intersectional Types, a new mailing list for programming language researchers.

In some ways, this list should be considered just another research list, such as the TYPES forum. This space can be used for research questions, literature guidance, starting collaborative efforts, introductions and updates to current research projects, open-ended philosophical questions about grand research visions, links to blog posts/papers, announcement of CFPs and job postings, announcements of achievements and breakthroughs.

In addition, this list is a response to a problem: that PL research communities have a really hard time attracting, retaining, and especially *valuing* people who are marginalized in society. This problem is in no way unique to PL, but the purpose of this list is to bring together folks with similar enough research interests that we can provide each other support that’s meaningful within the context of our specific field.

Some specific examples of activity we encourage, but don’t see on traditional research fora, are: requests for career mentorship and advice (especially along an academic career track); requests for feedback on papers and blog posts; giving (remote) practice talks; organizing local meetups and events; posting about mentorship programs, fellowships, summer schools, and other opportunities; venting about the ways our environments are unwelcoming and dysfunctional; and discussing how we ourselves can create more welcoming and supportive environments when we are in positions of leadership.

I previously posted about Chris's research on linear logic and storytelling. Intersectional Types, along with Lambda Ladies, marks an important step toward supporting diversity in the PL community. Well done, Chris, and welcome!