Programming languages

How computers can learn betterWith a recently released programming framework, researchers show that a new machine-learning algorithm outperforms its predecessors.

Kids coding in the cloudMIT Media Lab launches new generation of Scratch online community.

Liskov named Charter Fellow of National Academy of Inventors

Life in BASICNick Montfort and colleagues examine cultural significance of computer code in new book.

Making Web applications more efficientA new system that automatically streamlines database access patterns can make large Web applications up to three times as fast.

Writing graphics software gets much easierA new programming language for image-processing algorithms yields code that’s much shorter and clearer — but also faster.

Excel programming for nonprogrammersA new system allows Excel users to create customized functions for their spreadsheets simply by offering a few examples of how data should be manipulated.

Liskov named to National Inventors Hall of Fame

An oracle for object-oriented programmersBy automatically cataloging connections between software 'objects,' a new system orients programmers joining large software projects in midstream.

Machines that learn betterNew math will make it much easier to build machine-learning systems that tackle a wider range of problems.

3 Questions: Mitchel ResnickCreator of the popular Scratch programming language discusses Apple’s decision to disallow Scratch viewer for iPhones and iPads.

Computing, Sudoku-styleComputer scientists generally see computation as something like following a recipe. Alexey Radul sees it as more like a puzzle with interconnecting parts.

Reporter's Notebook: Inventing languageMIT’s Barbara Liskov, winner of the Turing Award, describes how she helped lay the foundations for today’s programming languages.