[Colloq] ***PhD. Thesis Proposal Presentation*** Monday, Sept. 30

[Rachel Bates]

PhD. Thesis Proposal Presentation
by Johan Ovlinger

Modular Programming with Aspectual Collaborations

Monday, Sep. 30, 2002
1pm
149 Cullinane Hall

ABSTRACT

The holy grail of software engineering is to tackle the three pronged
problem of quickly building large, complex systems.  We are once again
able to choose only two out of three.  This thesis investigates a
system combining aspects -- tackling complexity -- with modules --
tackling building large systems quickly -- in an attempt to provide a
solution for all three prongs.

We propose a programming construct called ``Aspectual
Collaborations'', consisting of modules tailored to capture
multi-object behavioral interactions, both at the explicit (modular
import and export) and implicit (aspectual advice) levels.  Aspectual
Collaborations combine powerful modularity constructs with aspectual
features, supporting external composition, separate checking and
compilation, and strong encapsulation.  Static and dynamic properties
of the construct are explored and a sample implementation for Java
provided.  Finally, the construct is evaluated against the claim of
supporting all three prongs of the problem.

Advisor: Karl Lieberherr
Committee Members: Matthias Felleisen, David Lorenz, Mitchell Wand