Programming languages are an interface between people and computers. Many have explored one side or the other. In this talk, I will illustrate the insights that can be gained by exploring both. For example, I will show how understanding human behavior can solve undecidable problems, and how understanding mathematical models can predict human expectations. I will discuss how this work was inspired by and adopted by the Ceylon design team at Red Hat and the Kotlin design team at JetBrains.

Ross is an Assistant Professor at Cornell University. He has served as an advisor to the Ceylon design team at Red Hat and the Kotlin design team at JetBrains.