Szymon Kaliski

Canvas for Programming

• ideas from Canvas for Thinking could be applied to programming
  • laying out functions spatially
  • laying out (embodied data) spatially
    • or maybe a Data Layer that can be toggled on/off
  • mixing code, visual reference materials, running instances, and data in the same space (I explored some of these ideas in Protoboard)
• VPLs, understood as "nodes-and-wires", usually provide some sort of infinite canvas to lay functions on, I'm curious if this combination is necessary - can the code still be text (or some other structural approach), while I can still "keep some functions here on the right of that other thing" - basically thinking spatially about my code
  • notable work in this direction is Dark ↗ (also featuring the "embodied data" idea):
• taking this even further, is using the spatiality for semantic - executing code spatially - Neighbour Computing note says more about this
• related to Canvas for Thinking, End-User Programming, Future Of Coding

Backlinks

1. 2025-09-25VPL¹
2. 2025-09-25Future Of Coding¹
3. 2022-01-04Pixel Space and Tools¹
4. 2021-06-09Places in Software¹
5. 2021-02-16Extended Mind¹
6. 2020-07-14Protoboard — A Breadboard for Programming¹