The Elm Programming Language, created by Evan Czaplicki, tackles web interaction and takes on the big three — HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Czaplicki to talk about why he decided to take on this daunting project and how Elm could revolutionize web programming.

Czaplicki was working on a front-end web project and he was thinking about how is it that web development can be “so frustrating in a way it didn’t have to be.” That was the day Elm was born (he talks about that moment in this segment of our video interview).

Today’s websites bear virtually no resemblance to those from 10 years ago, so why are we using the same tools? Cyclical upgrades to HTML, CSS and JavaScript have certainly enhanced and improved upon older versions. HTML5 has taken some great leaps forward. But we’re still using the core.

Coming from a functional programming background led Czaplicki to think about web programming from the perspective of functional reactive programming. What is functional reactive programming? It takes away the idea that interaction between a website and user is static — updating only at certain moments or clicks — and inserts the capability to update as events happen, like mouse movements. Czaplicki gives more detailed insight here.

Ok, let’s say we buy into this … it seems like a new way of thinking about web programming that will take projects to a new level. But why would you actually change from tried and true HTML, CSS and JavaScript? Czaplicki makes a few good arguments worth mulling over as you think about what language you should use on your next project, starting with the foundational idea that all of the established web languages have “deep semantic problems.” Then he touches on how “surprisingly difficult” CSS and HTML can be to work with for simple tasks, such as vertical centering and text placement. And Czaplicki promises, “Elm allows you to create asynchronous code without callbacks.” That’s something JavaScript does not allow.

Compelling reasons, but will Elm make it to the level of any of these three powerhouse web languages? Czaplicki lays out his roadmap thusly: in the short term he wants to add more features and libraries, then try to garner industry support, and delve deeper into the theory of functional reactive programming as it relates to the implementation of Elm.

I, for one, think it has a chance and that Czaplicki’s paradigm-breaking look at how the web can be programmed helps all web developers.

Our full interview is available in the following video:

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You probably don’t realize it, but Python’s capabilities are pushed every time you use YouTube and Dropbox. During our interview, Van Rossum said both of these services are at the forefront of Python’s development.

“Whenever someone clicks on a [YouTube] video, they will see HTML that was generated from Python,” he said. “That’s definitely pushing the limits.” [Discussed 27 seconds in — you can see the scalability presentation that Van Rossum mentions during this segment here.]

On the Dropbox side, Van Rossum said the service’s clients for Linux, Windows and Mac are all implemented in Python. You’re also downloading a miniature version of the Python runtime when you’re using Dropbox. [Noted at 1:20.]

Van Rossum also spoke about the lengthy transition Python has undergone from Python 2 to Python 3. “If you want improvements to your Python … now is the time to start trying out Python 3.” Why? While the changes to the language are actually quite small, with the exception of unicode handling being completely overhauled, Python 3 is a better, faster version of Python. In addition, many third parties like Django are coming on line with libraries and frameworks for Python 3. [Discussed at the 7:01 mark.]

Additional topics discussed during the interview include:

• Performance tips for Python (To see a full list check out Van Rossum’s related Google+ post) [Discussed at the 3:05 mark]
• Van Rossum gives NumPy and SciPy a thumbs-up [Discussed at the 5:50 mark]

You can view the full discussion in the following video.

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C++ and Java have long been the go-to languages for big server or system programs, but they were created almost 30 and 20 years ago, respectively. They don’t address very well the issues programmers see today like use of concurrency and incorporating big data and they’re not optimal for the current programming environment.

One main reason that Go will succeed is how it deals with concurrency. It outpaces Java and C++ as well as Python, Ruby, and all the other scripting languages. It simply provides a better model, with Java a close second, that is able to work within the computing environment into which it was born.

During a recent interview, Pike elaborated on the need for Go and where it fits in today’s programming landscape. Highlights from our discussion include:

• Pike noted that compiled languages like C++ and Java are not aging well. [Discussed at the 1:25 mark].
• Go 1, the language’s first stable release, hit the computing world on March 28, 2012. Until that release, companies and programmers hesitated to incorporate the programming language into their projects because the language was in flux. The Go 1 stable release was essential for the language to begin its climb to the level of the entrenched and trusted C++ and Java. But, now with the specs and APIs locked down and an active community surrounding it, Go is set to grow exponentially.
  
  However, maybe not overnight. A recent look at tags on Stack Overflow shows that Java has 295,411 tags, C++ 146,793 and Go far behind with 1,144. But don’t let that fool you, the language brings something programmers need in large projects and can’t ignore for much longer: compilation speed. Taking a second to compile rather minutes or hours, Pike discussed Go’s compilation speed at the 3:05 mark.
• A language needs to have swift runtime performance, solid tools, ease of use and compilation speed. Go really goes. And the key to compilation speed is dependency management. Pike expanded upon this: Go’s dependency model makes all the difference. [Discussed at the 3:38 mark]

You can view the entire interview in the following video.

Want to find out more about Go? Check out the official site.

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We sat down recently to talk about the PowerShell, which has a new version launching with Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, and how it has grown with this latest release.

Key points from the full video interview include:

• New to PowerShell v3: Workflows and many, many more cmdlets [Discussed at the 0:39 mark]
• Streamline larger programs by incorporating PowerShell [Discussed at the 2:15 mark]
• Automation equals repeatability [Discussed at the 3:40 mark]
• PowerShell has a passionate community [Discussed at the 5:41 mark]
• What does the future hold for PowerShell? [Discussed at the 7:16 mark]

You can view the entire interview in the following video.

Related:

• Subscribe to the free Code podcast through iTunes

We sat down recently to talk about the newly released ASP.NET Web API Framework, which he helped develop, and why it will become essential to building RESTful applications.

Key points from the full video (below) interview include:

• ASP.NET Web API enables a rich set of clients to consume info [Discussed at the 1:47 mark]
• Find out if one comes out on top – MVC vs. Web API [Discussed at the 2:41 mark]
• Different clients negotiate content differently – Web API handles this with ease [Discussed at the 5:50 mark]
• Self hosting is a big deal but beyond that Web API introduces flexibility – you no longer need to use IIS [Discussed at the 9:04 mark]
• An HTTP Programming Model for Microsoft [Discussed at the 11:04 mark]
• The newest of the new – Hypermedia, OData, and Web API Contrib [Discussed at the 18:08 mark]

You can view the entire interview in the following video.

Related:

• Subscribe to the free Code podcast through iTunes

We sat down recently to talk about iOS development and how best to build solid apps … the secret is take the time to learn the basics.

Key points from the full video (below) interview include:

• All of the real power in iOS development is in C. [Discussed at the 1:26 mark]
• Don’t use the Cocoa Framework, let it use you. [Discussed at the 2:56 mark]
• Even though you don’t have time, understanding the underlying foundation of the OS makes you better a developer. [Discussed at the 8:07 mark]
• Take a deep breath … Apple is actually working on improving the dev experience. [Discussed at the 10:54 mark]

You can view the entire interview in the following video.

Related:

• Subscribe to the free Code podcast through iTunes

Chris recently wrapped up his work on Meebo for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry which was recently acquired by Google. I got a chance to talk to him at OSCON this summer about Android development.

Key points from our full discussion include:

• Great features from Jellybean are available for older OSes. [Discussed at the 2:32 mark]
• Android devices vary greatly in size and shape – design with this in mind [Discussed at the 4:35 mark]
• Developers need earlier access to new versions of the OS [Discussed at the 5:32 mark]

You can view the entire interview in the following video.

Related:

• Subscribe to the free Code podcast through iTunes

Key points from the full video of our recent interview include:

• Perl 6 might not be here yet but it is seeping into Perl 5. [Discussed at the 1:09 mark]
• You really should use a more current version of Perl — one reason — Regular Expressions. [Discussed at the 1:48 mark]
• Moose — making object orientation easier. [Discussed at the 2:38 mark]
• Best Practice — Test! Test! Test! [Discussed at the 6:08 mark]
• The Perl Community — 25 years old and still optimizing the fastest dynamic language out there. [Discussed at the 9:42 mark]

You can view the entire interview in the following video.

Related:

• Subscribe to the free Code podcast through iTunes

Key points from the full video (below) interview include:

• Embrace Objective-C’s verbosity [Discussed at the 0:30 mark]
• Just getting started with Objective-C? Check out the WWDC videos and… [Discussed at the 1:45 mark]
• Long awaited updates to Objective-C make a big impact [Discussed at the 2:27 mark]
• When it comes time to submit your app to the App Store, think about it as Apple would [Discussed at the 3:47 mark]

You can view the entire interview in the following video.

Related:

• Subscribe to the free Code podcast through iTunes

Key points from the full interview (below) include:

• Async is a major new feature in C# 5.0. It solves latency issues! [Discussed at the 3:32 mark]
• The Roslyn project is going to vastly improve the C#/VB compiler tooling infrastructure. It will allow developers to complete their own code analysis. [Discussed at the 6:37 mark]
• Performance analysis is key to creating an optimal C# program. [Discussed at the 9:19 mark]
• Find out what might be coming next to C#. [Discussed at the 11:55 mark]

You can view the entire interview in the following video.

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Related:

• Cross-platform mobile development is a breeze with C#
• Developing cross-platform mobile apps with C#
• Subscribe to the free Code podcast through iTunes