To this end, WG2.3 provides an international forum for discussion and cross-fertilization of ideas between researchers in programming methodology and neighboring fields.
An organizing meeting was held in Oslo, 20–22 July 1969, with Ole-Johan Dahl, Edsger W. Dijkstra, Douglas McIlroy, Brian Randell, Gerhard Seegmueller, Wlad Turski, Mike Woodger, and Manfred Paul [de] (chair of WG2.1) attending.
It was attended by Ole-Johan Dahl, Edsger W. Dijkstra, Per Brinch Hansen, Tony Hoare, M. M. Lehman, J. Madey, Doug McIlroy, George Radin, Brian Randell, John Reynolds, Doug Ross, Christopher Strachey, and Warren Teitelman.
Meetings centered on the presentation and discussion of research underway, which meant that members could receive their colleagues' constructive criticism at a much earlier stage that usual.
As such, WG2.3 became a productive assembly at which researchers such as Dijkstra could work out many of the ideas that they subsequently brought forth in published papers.
Some essays contained new material while others aimed to review or evaluate an area or to outline problems for further investigation.