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An Interface-Based Ada Programming Support Environment Capt
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | DeLoach, Scott A. |
| Copyright Year | 2004 |
| Abstract | Programming Support Environments (PSEs) have recently been the focus o f much research directed at producing new methods for developing software mor e efficiently and reliably . The traditional approach to developing PSEs has been t o create a number of novel tools, and then integrate the tools together by adding a common database and modifying the interfaces between the tools until they ca n work together . Recently, however, it has been recognized that the interface s between the tools and the rest of the environment are critical, and perhaps mor e important, than the tools themselves . To be useful in solving the larger problem s currently associated with software, a PSE must be able to adapt and provide ne w capabilities, and be available to a relatively large number of users on a variety o f machines . The goal of this research was to determine whether PSEs based on abstrac t interfaces provide enhanced portability and extensibility over traditionally designed environments . To accomplish this goal, a prototype interface-based PS E was developed and then compared against traditional environments to determin e which had better portability and extensibility . First, an interface model was developed to define exactly what types of interface assumptions must be specified to define an appropriate abstract interface . Next, a prototype APSE based on that interface model was designed, specified, and implemented . Finally, this prototype APSE was measured against traditionally designed environments using original environment portability and extensibility metrics . I. Introductio n The software crisis, characterized by late, unreliable, unmaintainable, and expensive softwar e (Booth, 1983 :6), will cost the Department of Defense (DoD) an estimated $30 billion by 1990 (Canan , 1986 :46) . Programming Support Environments (PSEs), which integrate the tools and data necessary for software development, have been touted as a major step toward solution of this crisis . Currently , however, many PSEs require extensive modification for use on computers other than their origina l hosts, thereby reducing their potential impact on the crisis (Charette, 1986 :71) . Also, given their hig h development costs, it is critical that PSEs be extensible to meet future requirement changes ; unfortunately, the means for implementing PSE extensibility are poorly understood (Riddle and Williams , 1986 :86) . Therefore, the problem is, how to build environments that are portable and extensible? II. Backgroun d Portability has a number of connotations depending on the context in which it is used . As used with PSEs, portability can be defined as the ease with which a particular software component may be transferred between different solution environments (i .e ., computers, operating systems, or PSEs) (Yourdon and Constantine, 1978 :322) . Likewise, extensibility can also have several differen t meanings. Riddle and Williams state that environment extensibility is the ability of the environmen t to adapt to major changes in the environment's capabilities (Riddle and Williams, 1986 :86) . From: Ada Letters Volume VII, Number 4, July/August 1988 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://people.cs.ksu.edu/~sdeloach/publications/Conference/p70-deloach.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
