SPLASH - ACM SIGPLAN Conference
Table of Contents
1. Overview
SPLASH (Systems, Programming, Languages, and Applications: Software for Humanity) is the premier conference on programming languages and software engineering, incorporating OOPSLA (Object-Oriented Programming, Systems, Languages & Applications).
2. Attendance History
| Year | Location | Format | Key Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Portland, OR | In-person | First SPLASH (rebranded from OOPSLA) |
| 2013 | Indianapolis | In-person | |
| 2020 | Virtual | Online | COVID-era virtual format |
| 2023 | Cascais, Portugal | In-person | Co-located with SLE, GPCE |
| 2024 | Pasadena, CA | In-person | |
| 2026 | Oakland, CA | Planned | Co-located with ISSTA |
3. Conference Tracks
3.1. OOPSLA (Object-Oriented Programming)
Core research track for programming language design and implementation.
3.2. Onward!
Forward-looking essays on software and programming.
3.3. SLE (Software Language Engineering)
Domain-specific languages and language workbenches.
3.4. GPCE (Generative Programming)
Code generation and metaprogramming.
3.5. DLS (Dynamic Languages Symposium)
Dynamic language implementation and optimization.
3.6. Workshops
- SPLASH-E (Education)
- VMIL (Virtual Machines)
- META (Metaprogramming)
- REBLS (Reactive and Event-Based Languages)
4. Key Themes Over Years
4.1. Language Design
- Gradual typing evolution
- Effect systems
- Memory safety without garbage collection
4.2. Tooling
- IDE advancements
- Static analysis
- Refactoring tools
4.3. Paradigms
- Functional programming adoption
- Actor models
- Dataflow programming
5. Notable Talks Attended
5.1. 2023 Highlights
- Graal/Truffle performance advances
- WebAssembly for language implementation
- Dependent types in practice
5.2. 2024 Highlights
- LLM-assisted programming
- Verified compilation
- Green software engineering
6. Related Conferences
- POPL - Principles of Programming Languages
- ICFP - International Conference on Functional Programming
- Strange Loop - (discontinued 2023)
- PLDI - Programming Language Design and Implementation
8. Notes
SPLASH has been consistently excellent for:
- Deep technical content on PL research
- Exposure to cutting-edge language features
- Networking with language implementers
- Workshop participation opportunities