[Colloq] Ph.D. Dissertation Defense **Tuesday, April 29**

[Rachel Bates]

College of Computer Science
Ph.D. Dissertation Defense
Paul Graunke
will present
Web Interactions
Tuesday, April 29th at  10:30 a.m.
149 Cullinane Hall


ABSTRACT

My dissertation focuses on programming language support for interactive
dialogues that exhibit the same flexibility as Web dialogues.  In my defense
I will present a foundational model of Web interactions, some practical
constructs for Web programming, and how these techniques for writing
interactive software apply to non-Web programs.

The model of Web interactions provides a framework for formally describing
two classes of errors.  The model suggests techniques for detecting both
classes of errors.  An incrementally checked record type system effectively
eliminates one class of errors.  A dynamic safety check catches the other
class of errors relative to programmers' simple annotations.

In practice, programming with continuations greatly facilitates the
implementation of Web dialogues.  Their use, however, raises issues of
resource management.  My defense will briefly cover two solutions to the
problems that arise.

Many GUI programs dialogue with the user, requesting a sequence of
decisions. My defense will illustrate how the same techniques used for
developing  Web applications can replace the painful to use and to program
ad hoc  techniques currently used by a principled, mechanical
transformation.

Committee Members: Matthias Felleisen, Shriram Krishnamurthi, William
Clinger, Karl Lieberherr, Viera Proulx