Open Tech Calendar

Cancelled!

Mon 6th Dec 2021 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Mon 6th Dec 2021 8:00pm (Europe/London)

TidalCycles - Making algorithmic patterns with pure functional reactive programming

TidalCycles (or just Tidal for short) is a domain specific language for making live patterns, usually musical patterns. I started making it over ten years ago, and it's since become an active free/open source project used by musicians around the world. I last gave a Sheffield FP meetup talk about this at def_shef about five years ago, so time for an update!

I'll talk about the (now much cleaner) innards of Tidal, how patterns are represented and manipulated as pure functions of time, and how state enters the picture. I'll also go into how patterns work as applicative functors and monads, to allow them to be flexibly combined. I'll more generally talk about the social context for this work, and what it feels like to hack haskell in nightclubs at 4AM in the morning while people dance to your code.. With plenty of demos along the way to keep things fun and accessible. All questions (especially stupid ones) will be welcome!

Tidal: https://tidalcycles.org/
Blog: https://slab.org/
Affiliation: https://thentrythis.org/
Streamed performance with hellocatfood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vomnc9R-7mw

https://tidalcycles.org/

Tue 6th Dec 2022 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 6th Dec 2022 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

https://berlincodeofconduct.org

(def shef) Advent of Code Days 9 and 10

Beginners and experts alike are welcome. You don't need to know anything about functional programming!

(def shef) is working through last year's Advent of Code (adventofcode.com) taking a few exercises each month. In March, we're looking at days 9 and 10. You don't need to start on Day 1, you can just jump in now and have a go!

We won't be able to complete these exercises in the two hour session. Whlst you can just come along and participate, you'll get the most out of the session if you have a go on your own in the month leading up to it. We can use the time to share approaches and learn from one another. You can use any language you like. It doesn't need to be a "functional language", although functional approaches and their practical considerations will be a focus.

Check out our work so far at https://github.com/defshef/advent-of-code-2018. We look forward to seeing you!

Follow (def shef) on Twiiter @def_shef

We adhere to the Sheffield Digital code of conduct. We're grateful to Sheffield Technology Parks for hosting us and ask that you leave them a review on Google to say thanks!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/def-shef-advent-of-code-days-9-and-10-tickets-60177686079

Tue 14th May 2019 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 14th May 2019 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

We adhere to the Sheffield Digital code of conduct

(def shef) Advent of Code Days 7 and 8

Beginners and experts alike are welcome. You don't need to know anything about functional programming!

(def shef) is working through last year's Advent of Code (adventofcode.com) taking a few exercises each month. In March, we're looking at days 7 and 8. If you didn't start on day 1, you can just jump in at day 7!

We won't be able to complete these exercises in the two hour session. The idea is that you have a go on your own in the month leading up to the session and we can use the time to share approaches and learn from one another. You can use any language you like. It doesn't need to be a "functional language", although functional approaches and their practical considerations will be a focus.

You can see some of our work at https://github.com/defshef/advent-of-code-2018. We look forward to seeing you!

Follow (def shef) on Twitter @def_shef

We adhere to the Sheffield Digital code of conduct. We're grateful to Sheffield Technology Parks for hosting us and ask that you leave them a review on Google to say thanks!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/def-shef-advent-of-code-days-7-and-8-tickets-59273311069

Tue 9th Apr 2019 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 9th Apr 2019 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

https://sheffield.digital/events/meetup-code-of-conduct/

(def shef) Advent of Code Days 4, 5 and 6

Beginners and experts alike are welcome. You don't need to know anything about functional programming!

(def shef) is working through last year's Advent of Code (adventofcode.com) taking a few exercises each month. In March, we're looking at days 4, 5 and 6.

We won't be able to complete these exercises in the two hour session. The idea is that you have a go on your own in the month leading up to the session and we can use the time to share approaches and learn from one another. You can use any language you like. It doesn't even need to be a "functional language", although functional approaches and their practical considerations will be a focus.

We look forward to seeing you in March!

Follow (def shef) on Twitter @def_shef

We adhere to the Sheffield Digital code of conduct at https://sheffield.digital/events/meetup-code-of-conduct. We're grateful to Sheffield Technology Parks for hosting us and ask that you leave them a review on Google to say thanks!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/def-shef-advent-of-code-days-4-5-and-6-tickets-56514887550

Tue 12th Mar 2019 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 12th Mar 2019 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

https://sheffield.digital/events/meetup-code-of-conduct

Do you want to try out functional programming? Perhaps you're already a functional programmer looking to practice and learn from others?

We're trying something new with (def shef) in 2019. We're going to work through last year's Advent of Code (https://adventofcode.com/2018) taking a few exercises each month. In February, we're looking at days 1, 2 and 3.

We won't be able to complete these exercises in the two hour session. The idea is that you have a go on your own in the month leading up to the session and we can use the time to share approaches and learn from one another. You can use any language you like. It doesn't even need to be a "functional language", although functional approaches and their practical considerations will be the focus.

Advent of Code - February

Do you want to try out functional programming? Perhaps you're already a functional programmer looking to practice and learn from others?

We're trying something new with (def shef) in 2019. We're going to work through last year's Advent of Code (https://adventofcode.com/2018) taking a few exercises each month. In February, we're looking at days 1, 2 and 3.

We won't be able to complete these exercises in the two hour session. The idea is that you have a go on your own in the month leading up to the session and we can use the time to share approaches and learn from one another. You can use any language you like. It doesn't even need to be a "functional language", although functional approaches will be the focus and practical considerations will be the focus.

Tue 12th Feb 2019 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 12th Feb 2019 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

The Sheffield Digital code of conduct https://sheffield.digital/events/meetup-code-of-conduct/

Audio Synthesis in F# with John Stovin

John Stovin presents "Audio Synthesis in F#"

Specifically, John will share with you how reactive event handling and lazy sequences can be used together to create a simple software-based audio synthesizer.

No knowledge of signal processing theory is required. John will start with a simple, non-technical and non-mathematical explanation of the basic concepts of digital signal processing. John will then build on that explanation to show how to design a basic signal flow and processing elements using pure functional elements, and how to make this signal flow interact with external devices in real time.

F# topics covered will include: Seq & List; Event Handling; Sequence comprehension; Higher-order functions, particularly unfold.

If you would like to follow along with code during the talk, you will need a Windows laptop (John's code currently only supports Windows audio) with an audio card, F# and an editor.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/audio-synthesis-in-f-with-john-stovin-tickets-44304964341

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/audio-synthesis-in-f-with-john-stovin-tickets-44304964341

Tue 8th May 2018 7:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 8th May 2018 9:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

https://berlincodeofconduct.org/

Dependent Typing with Idris

In March's (def shef), we're looking at dependent typing and the kinds of problems it can help with, using the Idris language (https://www.idris-lang.org/)

We're all beginners with this language, so everyone is welcome! We'll be working through introductory materials (feel free to have a read around and a go yourself beforehand) and looking for problems that demonstrate the advantages of a dependently typed language.

This will be a hands-on session that isn't very structured. You'll need a laptop and it'll help if you've already installed Idris (alternatively you can try using an online REPL like https://tryidris.herokuapp.com/console)

See you on the 13th!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dependent-typing-with-idris-tickets-43507538218

Tue 13th Mar 2018 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 13th Mar 2018 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

confcodeofconduct.com

REPL-Driven Development with Ed Bowler

Ever wondered what makes Clojure so appealing to work with? In February, Ed will show how the REPL and other unusual features of Clojure make it a productive and fun language to use!

He'll begin with a brief introduction to Clojure before diving into an interactive, live coding session.

If you want to brush up on your Clojure in the meantime, http://www.4clojure.com/ is a collection of many Clojure exercises to practice. Get set up quickly with https://clojure.org/guides/getting_started, abnd https://www.braveclojure.com/ is a great, free introduction to the language.

This is a beginner-friendly talk.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/repl-driven-development-with-ed-bowler-tickets-42376451106

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/repl-driven-development-with-ed-bowler-tickets-42376451106

Tue 13th Feb 2018 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 13th Feb 2018 9:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

confcondeofconduct.com

(def shef 43) Writing a tile-matching game, FP style

Ever wondered how to write a tile-matching game (like Candy Crush and the earlier Bejeweled)? Traditionally game developers would write a game - the graphics, state, and user interaction - in an imperative style, but recently the functional approach is getting more popular.

Hakim Cassimally (BBC, Manchester LambdaLounge) has been exploring the process of developing a tile-matching game in Clojure. He'll present present some of the basics of modelling the game grid, and playing a basic event loop, introducing some important concepts in functional programming and simple game development.

This is a beginner-friendly talk.

Where and When? Showroom Workstation in Sheffield City Centre, Jan 9th. Talk starts at 7pm.

What do I need? You don't need anything. Bring a laptop if you want to try some of the ideas in the talk. Try the Clojure Getting Started page (https://clojure.org/guides/getting_started) if it's your first time with Clojure and come along at 6:30pm if you need any help setting up.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/def-shef-43-writing-a-tile-matching-game-fp-style-tickets-39358339854?aff=es2

(def shef 42) Christmas Session

Nothing planned for this event, we'll do whatever the people who turn up want to do.

Look out for our first talk of 2018 on 9th Jan, when we have a guest speaker from Manchester Lambda Lounge!

Tue 9th Jan 2018 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 9th Jan 2018 9:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

codeofconduct.com

(def shef 42) Christmas Session

Nothing planned for this event, we'll do whatever the people who turn up want to do.

Look out for our first talk of 2018 on 9th Jan, when we have a guest speaker from Manchester Lambda Lounge!

(def shef 42) Tile Matching Games in Clojure

Ever wondered how to write a tile-matching game (like Candy Crush and the earlier Bejeweled)? Traditionally game developers would write a game - the graphics, state, and user interaction - in an imperative style, but recently the functional approach is getting more popular.

Hakim Cassimally (BBC, Manchester LambdaLounge) has been exploring the process of developing a tile-matching game in Clojure. He'll present present some of the basics of modelling the game grid, and playing a basic event loop, introducing some important concepts in functional programming and simple game development.
This is a beginner-friendly talk.

Where and When? Sheffield City Centre (exact venue TBC), December 12th. Talk starts at 7pm.

What do I need? You don't need anything. Bring a laptop if you want to try some of the ideas in the talk. Try the Clojure Getting Started page if it's your first time with Clojure and come along at 6:30pm if you need any help setting up.

Image credit: Nick Youngson http://nyphotographic.com, http://www.thebluediamondgallery.com/tablet/v/video-game-developer.html

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/def-shef-42-writing-a-tile-matching-game-fp-style-tickets-39358339854

Tue 12th Dec 2017 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 12th Dec 2017 9:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

codeofconduct.com

(def shef 41) Lean Coffee

Everything is better when it's lean, even coffee and functional programming.

We'll try the lean coffee format at at (def shef 41)... bring your own agenda! Anything you want to talk about, whatever your experience with functional programming. The broader range of topics the better!

Where and When? Rutland Arms, upstairs room - I'll be there from 18:30 and we'll kick off properly at 19:00, rocking up early or late is fine.

What do I need? Nothing - just bring yourself.

Join the #def_shef channel on the Sheffield Digital slack to keep up to date and talk to other functional programming enthuiasts

Image credit https://www.pexels.com/photo/happy-coffee-6347/

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/def-shef-41-lean-coffee-tickets-39357278680?aff=otc

Tue 14th Nov 2017 7:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 14th Nov 2017 9:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

codeofconduct.com

(def shef 40) More Monad Challenges

We had a look at the The Monad Challenges in August's (def shef 38). They're a thought-provoking set of problems to solve, designed to help you "discover" monads rather than teach them to you.

We enjoyed the last session and so we're revisiting! The Monad Challenges are written in Haskell, but I think you could have a go in other functional languages too.

(def shef) is open to all, beginners and experts alike. If you're new to functional programming, we'd love you to come along and wel'll help you get started!

We thank Sky Betting and Gaming for kindly sponsoring this event. One of the Sunday Times' Top 100 companies to work for, based in Leeds and Sheffield, there are all sorts of roles available now.

http://defshef.github.io

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/def-shef-40-more-monad-challenges-tickets-37913945632

Tue 10th Oct 2017 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 10th Oct 2017 9:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

codeofconduct.com

(def shef 39) Open Session

We're in a new venue this month, the upstairs room at the Rutland Arms in Sheffield.

This is an open session. Everyone is welcome to come along, regardless of experience. If you don't know what functional programming is (or why you care), or if you want to talk Clojure vs. Haskell, this is the session for you!

Bring a laptop if you want to get hands-on.

https://defshef.github.io

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/def-shef-39-open-session-tickets-37562605765

Tue 12th Sep 2017 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 12th Sep 2017 9:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

codeofconduct.com

(def shef 38) Monad Challenges

It's time for the Monad Challenges!

They're a set a problems designed to be a hands-on introduction to Monads, written in Haskell. A fairly basic knowledge of Haskell is required and the concepts you'll need to understand are listed on the Monad Challenges page. You'll also a computer and a working Haskell environment. If you're just getting started, there's plenty of tutorials out there like learnyouahaskell.com that should get you set up and cover off the concepts.

All experience levels welcome. I'm a Haskell beginner myself, so I'm doing these tutorials to prepare! If you're struggling with the language or the concepts, come along anyway and we'll help you!

Thanks to Mat for suggesting this topic!

(def shef) thanks Sky Betting and Gaming for kindly sponsoring this event. One of the Sunday Times' Top 100 companies to work for based in Leeds and Sheffield, there are roles available now.

https://defshef.github.io/#ep38

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/def-shef-38-monad-challenges-tickets-36435942886

Tue 8th Aug 2017 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 8th Aug 2017 9:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

codeofconduct.com

(def shef 37) Finite State Automata and Friends

We're going to have a go at the Monad Challenges next month. You'll need some Haskell (or a language with similar capabilities) so this month, we'll take on a less taxing challenge - understanding and implementing Finite State Automata in a functional style.
Finite state automata are a classic idea in computer science and and are able to recognise regular expressions.
If you've read Tom Stuart's "Understanding Computation", we'll be following chapter 3, but implementing in funcional styles instead of in OO ruby. It's a nice problem to try out a new langauge... maybe Haskell!

https://defshef.github.io/#ep37

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/def-shef-37-finite-state-automata-and-friends-tickets-35983887777

Tue 11th Jul 2017 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 11th Jul 2017 9:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

codeofconduct.com

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/def-shef-35-refactor-my-code-tickets-33805696749

(def shef 35) Refactor my Code

Bring our your code! We'll be looking at how functional programming techniques can help improve the code you work with everyday. Everything from shell scripts to Haskell is fair game, and everyone welcome - whether you're a functional programming ninja or you don't know exactly what functional programming is!

We'll also have some examples ready to get things moving, fork and PR https://github.com/defshef/35-refactor-my-code to add your favourite!

http://TBC

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/publish?crumb=c0c7997fd89757&eid=33805696749

Tue 9th May 2017 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 9th May 2017 9:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

http://confcodeofconduct.com/

(def shef 34) More Machine Learning: Neural Networks

In (def shef 34) we explored the k-nearest-neighbour classifier. This time, we're looking at a more well-known approach - neural networks.

This is a bigger, more maths-y topic and it'll be a less structured exploration. We'll be officially exploring the theory and implementation by working through Andrej Kaparthy's "Hacker's guide to Neural Networks" in languages of our choice, but you're also free to come along and take your own path!

Thanks to Sky Betting and Gaming for sponsoring this event!

https://defshef.github.io/#ep34

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/def-shef-34-more-machine-learning-neural-networks-tickets-33172491816

Tue 11th Apr 2017 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 11th Apr 2017 9:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

http://confcodeofconduct.com/

The k-nearest neighbours classifier is a classic machine learning algorithm. We'll use functional languages to implement a classifier, then use it with real-world public data sets to solve classification problems.

A suggested worksheet is available at https://github.com/defshef/dojo-knn

Once you've implemented and explored the algorithm, there are many details you can dive deeper on. How does your algorithm perform on larger data sets, and can you speed it up? How about plugging in different distance functions? If you're already an ML expert, you can look at a more advanced algorithm and compare performance with the kNN implementations.

changed

changed

The k-nearest neighbours classifier is a classic machine learning algorithm. We'll use functional languages to implement a classifier, then use it with real-world public data sets to solve classification problems.

Once you've implemented and explored the algorithm, there are many details you can dive deeper on. How does your algorithm perform on larger data sets, and can you speed it up? How about plugging in different distance functions? If you're already an ML expert, you can look at a more advanced algorithm and compare performance with the kNN implementations.

https://defshef.github.io/#ep33

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/def-shef-33-tickets-31779533440

(def shef 33)

Planning for (def shef 33) is underway! If there's something you'd like to do, please suggest it by tweet or DM to @def_shef.

More contact options at https://defshef.github.io

Tue 7th Mar 2017 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 7th Mar 2017 9:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

http://confcodeofconduct.com/

(def shef 32 New Year Coding Dojo)

After a brief hiatus, (def shef) is back for 2017 with a coding dojo.

We'll be picking a small toy problem, and then breaking off into small groups to have a go at solutions in whatever functional programming language our hearts desire. If there's time we'll compare our solutions to each other.

This could be a great excuse to try something new, or simply to tinker with your pet language. Make sure you bring a laptop.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef32

Tue 10th Jan 2017 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 10th Jan 2017 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

http://confcodeofconduct.com/

(def shef 31 Strangeloop 2016 Movie Night)

It's that time of year again! Strange Loop is an awesome conference that features, among many other topics, lots of great practical and theoretical talks about Functional Programming. I was lucky enough to attend, and they've published the recordings of the talks already, so we all get to benefit without the crippling cost of international airfare.

I'll be picking out a shortlist of the best, we'll select which talk or talks to watch on the night, so if you have any suggestions let me know on twitter or just bring it up when you arrive.

You can see the list of videos on the Strange Loop 2016 YouTube Playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcGKfGEEONaDvuLDFFKRfzbsaBuVVXdYa) and the full list of all sessions is on the main strangeloop website (https://thestrangeloop.com/schedule.html).

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef31

Tue 11th Oct 2016 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 11th Oct 2016 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

http://confcodeofconduct.com/

(def shef 30 The Never Changing Face of Immutability)

This month we have an out-of-towner coming in to talk, Chris Howe-Jones.

This talk should be a great introduction to functional and immutable thinking, so please do bring your mutable-OO friends along too! Chris doesn't want to give too much away, but he did have this to say:

This talk explores the changes in technology over time and how this has led to a rise in a different way of managing state within applications.

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef30

Tue 9th Aug 2016 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 9th Aug 2016 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

http://confcodeofconduct.com/

(def shef 29 Try Elm Yourselves)

This month will be a practical session, so bring your laptops! We'll be exploring Elm (http://elm-lang.org/) - a strongly typed functional programming language that targets the browser and focuses on being accessible to newcomers.

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef29

Tue 12th Jul 2016 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 12th Jul 2016 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

http://confcodeofconduct.com/

(def shef 28 A practical guide to creating UI apps in F#)

(def shef 27 A practical guide to creating UI apps in F#)

This month we've got Ben Robinson giving us a talk:

Traditionally when creating UI apps we end up having maintain lots of mutating (and fragile) state. So we will creating a simple desktop application from the ground up using using a Functional Reactive Programming style (and judiciously borrowing ideas ideas from modern frameworks like React/Flux) that is declarative and easy to understand.

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef28

Tue 14th Jun 2016 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 14th Jun 2016 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

http://confcodeofconduct.com/

(def shef 27 Follow-up to our practical)

This month we'll be sharing our experiences and code from the various solutions and approaches people took last month.

The practical session we did was on Blackjack, and the variety of approaches and languages people took was impressive.

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef27

Tue 10th May 2016 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 10th May 2016 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

http://confcodeofconduct.com/

This month we'll be working on something practical you can sink your teeth into and get a flavour of somewhat-real-world functional programming.

The plan is to take a task that we'd normally think of as something that fits object oriented programming very well, and see how to approach it with our functional hats on.

The format will be small groups split by choice of language, so hopefully there should be something to interest everyone. I can guarantee some Clojure, for anything else it'll depend who shows up. Bring your laptops!

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

(def shef 26 Something practical)

This month we'll be working on something practical you can sink your teeth into, and get a flavour of somewhat-real-world functional programming.

The rough plan is to take a task that we'd normally think of as something that fits object oriented programming very well, and see how to approach it with our functional hats on. More details to follow!

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef26

Tue 12th Apr 2016 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 12th Apr 2016 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

http://confcodeofconduct.com/

(def shef 25 Not a proper meetup)

This month no-one is available to organise a proper meetup, so instead we'll just head to the Rutland Arms for some functional programming chatter.

We'll be back in April with something practical to whet your appetites.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef25

Tue 8th Mar 2016 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 8th Mar 2016 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

http://confcodeofconduct.com/

(def shef 24 From techno to textiles: live coding pattern in Haskell)

This month Alex McLean will be talking to us about music, in his own words:

I've been writing code to make music since around the year 2000, at first in Perl but more recently in Haskell, in particular developing the free/open source Tidal environment since around 2010. Tidal represents musical pattern as pure functions from time to events, providing an expressive language for sequencing, combining and transforming patterns. I've performed widely with Tidal in a range of collaborations, including as part of the Algorave movement that I co-founded.

In this talk I'll demonstrate Tidal, go through the way that pattern is represented and try to unearth how pure functional programming has made it possible. I'll try to make it interesting for people new to programming and functional programming, as well as the more experienced. If there's time and interest I can also talk about related research I'm involved with in representing the structure of textiles in a similar manner.

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef24

Tue 9th Feb 2016 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 9th Feb 2016 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

http://confcodeofconduct.com/

(def shef 22 Strangeloop Movie Night)

It's that time of year again! Strangeloop (https://thestrangeloop.com/) is an awesome conference that features, among many other topics, lots of great practical and theoretical talks about Functional Programming. I was lucky enough to attend, and they've published the recordings of every single talk already, so we all get to benefit without the crippling cost of international airfare.

I'll be picking out a shortlist of the best, we'll select which talk or talks to watch on the night, so if you have any suggestions let me know on twitter or just bring it up when you arrive.

You can see the videos on the Strange Loop 2015 YouTube Playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcGKfGEEONaCIl5eU53uPBnRJ9rbIH32R) and the full list of all sessions is on the main strangeloop website (http://thestrangeloop.com/2015/sessions.html).

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef22

Tue 10th Nov 2015 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 10th Nov 2015 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

(def shef 21 PureScript and functional programming on the web)

Becky Conning will be getting us excited about PureScript and functional programming on the web.

Becky has used Javascript for everything for quite a while and over time has found the approaches and technologies that were helping her the most have their roots in functional programming. Today she works for SlamData writing web application tests and features using PureScript every day.

Purescript is written in and inspired by Haskell. Luckily for us web developers, Purescript modules compile to CommonJS modules making it surprisingly easy to interface between Javascript and Purescript in both directions.

There are also versions of Purescript in development that compile to Python and C++.

Becky will be sharing her excitement about the possibilities of functional programming for application development with you and we’ll building a small application to help get you motivated.

So whether you’re a Javascript developer, a seasoned functional programmer or just interested in applications come on down and get excited about Purescript and functional programming for applications!

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

http://defshef.github.io/

Tue 13th Oct 2015 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 13th Oct 2015 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

(def shef 20)

Graph Databases and Markov Chains for AI (without much I)

This month we'll be hearing from Gary Martin:

When we look to start a new programming project, we often take the tools we already know for granted and reach for the tools that we know. This is as true for databases as it is for programming languages. In this talk we are going to look at using a graph database as an appropriate storage model for Markov chains and conversation simulation.

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef20

Tue 8th Sep 2015 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 8th Sep 2015 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

(def shef 19 The ClojureScript Experience)

We haven't had a practical session for a while, and as there was quite a small turnout to (def shef 12), I've decided to re-use the exercise from that one again.

We'll be working on a small TodoMVC implementation written using Reagent and ClojureScript. No previous knowledge is required, but it will help if you have Leiningen installed before you arrive.

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef19

Tue 14th Jul 2015 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 14th Jul 2015 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

A late change of schedule due to a calendar mishap! F# is deferred, hopefully only until next month. Instead, Glen Mailer will be showing off a bit of hot reloading magic.

1. Edit file.
2. Save file.
3. Compile code.
4. Reload browser.
5. Click around and interact with the page.
6. Somehow get back to the exact same state.
7. Check result.
8. Not quite right.
9. Go back to step 1, do not pass go, do not collect £200.

Interpreted languages, fast compile times & fast test suites are great at reducing the feedback cycle, but those aren't the only areas where feedback is important.

What if you could edit your code and see the effects immediately? Going from step 1 to step 7 in the scenario above without having to do anything in between. How would having that sort of instant feedback affect the way you work?

I'll show how this can be achieved in a few different common (and uncommon) programming languages, and what sort of concessions (if any) you have to make in your code to make it work.

This isn't just a crazy fringe idea: it's been around in some form or another for ages, and it's something we can and should be using right now.

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

The Magic of Hot Code Reloading

A late change of schedule due to a calendar mishap! F# is deferred, hopefully only until next month. Instead, Glen Mailer will be showing off a bit of hot reloading magic.

1. Edit file.
2. Save file.
3. Compile code.
4. Reload browser.
5. Click around and interact with the page.
6. Somehow get back to the exact same state.
7. Check result.
8. Not quite right.
9. Go back to step 1, do not pass go, do not collect =A3200.

Interpreted languages, fast compile times & fast test suites are great at reducing the feedback cycle, but those aren't the only areas where feedback is important.

What if you could edit your code and see the effects immediately? Going from step 1 to step 7 in the scenario above without having to do anything in between. How would having that sort of instant feedback affect the way you work?

I'll show how this can be achieved in a few different common (and uncommon) programming languages, and what sort of concessions (if any) you have to make in your code to make it work.

This isn't just a crazy fringe idea: it's been around in some form or another for ages, and it's something we can and should be using right now.

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

changed

An introduction to F# by way of turtles

F# is a statically-typed, open source, functional-first language on the CLR which combines functional idioms such as immutability and pattern matching with advanced features like type providers and asynchronous workflows, while remaining accessible to the less functionally-inclined by including a healthy dose of OO and everything that comes with the .net ecosystem.

In this session, Grant Crofton will be showing everyone how awesome it is by using it to write a simple Logo interpreter, commonly used to draw stuff with Turtles. This may or may not include any live coding, depending on how much he wants the audience to suffer..

Afterwards we'll be heading to a nearby pub to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

http://defshef.github.io/#defshef17

Tue 12th May 2015 6:30pm (Europe/London)

Tue 12th May 2015 8:30pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

No

Yes

Note that this month we have a new larger venue! We'll gather in the lobby from about 6:15 before heading upstairs once people arrive.

After the success of the last movie night, we return with another: Rich Hickey, creator of Clojure is well known for his very well laid out and generally excellent technical talks.

We'll be selecting from the handily prepared http://thechangelog.com/rich-hickeys-greatest-hits/. Be prepared to hear about how we can simplify what we're doing to build software, and how to spend more time thinking. There might be some mention of Functional Programming and Lisps in there too.

Afterwards we'll be heading to the Sheffield Tap to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.

Note that this month we have a new larger venue! We'll gather in the lobby from about 6:15 before heading upstairs once people arrive.

After the success of the last movie night, we return with another: Rich Hickey, creator of Clojure is well known for his very well laid out and generally excellent technical talks.

We'll be selecting from the handily prepared <a href="http://thechangelog.com/rich-hickeys-greatest-hits/">Rich Hickey's Greatest Hits</a>. Be prepared to hear about how we can simplify what we're doing to build software, and how to spend more time thinking. There might be some mention of Functional Programming and Lisps in there too.

Afterwards we'll be heading to the Sheffield Tap to decomplect with a drink or two and more functional programming chatter.