RAM-SE'05
2nd ECOOP Workshop on
Reflection, AOP and Meta-Data for Software Evolution
Glasgow, Scotland, 25th of July 2005
(http://homes.dico.unimi.it/RAM-SE05.html)

RAM-SE05: call for paper (pdf).

Note, we are editing a TAOSD Special Issue on AOSD and SW Evolution.

Download the complete proceedings of the workshop Download

Workshop Description

Software evolution and adaptation is a research area in continuous evolution, and offering stimulating challenges for both academic and industrial researchers.

The evolution of software systems, to face unexpected situations or just for improving their features, relies on software engineering techniques and methodologies. Nowadays a similar approach is not applicable in all situations e.g., for evolving nonstopping systems or systems whose code is not available.

Features of reflection such as transparency, separation of concerns, and extensibility seem to be perfect tools to aid the dynamic evolution of running systems. Aspect-oriented programming can simplify code instrumentation whereas techniques that rely on meta-data can be used to inspect the system and to extract the necessary data for designing the heuristic that the reflective and aspect-oriented mechanism use for managing the evolution.

We feel the necessity to investigate the benefits brought by the use of these techniques on the evolution of object-oriented software systems. In particular we would determine how these techniques can be integrated together with more traditional approaches to evolve a system and the benefits we get from their use.

This workshop can be a good meeting-point for people working in the software evolution area, and an occasion to present reflective, aspect-oriented and data-mining based solutions to evolutionary problems, and new ideas straddling these areas.

Workshop Schedule

9:00 - Workshop Opening: Walter Cazzola, Shigeru Chiba, Gunter Saake and Tom Tourwé.

In red has been stressed the person who is going to present the contribution at the workshop.

1. Keynote on the Role of Dynamic Languages in Software Evolution.

Chairman: Shigeru Chiba, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.
09:00 - 09:45

The Revival of Dynamic Languages.
Oscar Nierstrasz, Universität Bern, Switzerland.

Abstract. The programming languages of today are stuck in a deep rut that has developed over the past 50 years. Although we are faced with new challenges posed by enormous advances in hardware and internet technology, we continue to struggle with old-fashioned languages based on rigid, static, closed-world file-based views of programming. We argue the need for a new class of dynamic languages that support a view of programming as constant evolution of living and open software models. Such languages would require features such as dynamic first-class namespaces, explicit meta-models, optional, pluggable type systems, and incremental compilation of running software systems.

9:45 - 10:15 Panel on the Role of Dynamic Languages in Software Evolution.

2. Mechanisms for Supporting Software Evolution.

Chairman: Oscar Nierstrasz, Universität Bern, Switzerland.
10:50 - 11:10

DownloadCombining Feature-Oriented and Aspect-Oriented Programming to Support Software Evolution.
Sven Apel, Thomas Leich, Marko Rosenmüller, and Gunter Saake, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany.

11:10 - 11:30

DownloadDynOCoLa: Enabling Dynamic Composition of Object Behaviour.
Chitra Babu, Wenonah Jaques and D Janakiram, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India.

11:30 - 11:50

DownloadModular Aspect Verification for Safer Aspect-Based Evolution.
Nathan Weston, Francois Taiani, Awais Rashid, Computing Department, Lancaster University, UK.

11:50 - 12:10

DownloadTowards Reusable Heterogeneous Data-Centric Disentangled Parts.
Michael Reinsch and Takuo Watanabe, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.

12:10 - 12:40 Panel on Mechanisms for Supporting Software Evolution.

3. Technological Limits for Software Evolution.

Chairman: Yvonne Coady, University of Victoria, Canada.
14:00 - 14:20

DownloadPitfalls in Unanticipated Dynamic Software Evolution.
Peter Ebraert and Theo D'Hondt, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium,
Yves Vandewoude and Yolande Berbers, KULeuven, Belgium.

14:20 - 14:40

DownloadArchitectural Reflection for Software Evolution.
Stephen Rank, University of Lincoln, UK.

14:40 - 15:00

DownloadThe Role of Design Information in Software Evolution.
Walter Cazzola, DICo Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy,
Sonia Pini and Massimo Ancona, DISI Università degli Studi di Genova, Italy.

15:00 - 15:30 Panel on Technological Limits for Software Evolution.

4. Tools and Middleware for Software Evolution.

Chairman: Takuo Watanabe, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.
16:00 - 16:20

DownloadTowards a Meta-Modelling Approach to Configurable Middleware.
Nelly Bencomo, Gordon Blair, Geoff Coulson, and Thais Batista, Lancaster University, Uk.

16:20 - 16:40

DownloadSONAR: Customizable, Lightweight Tool Support to Prevent Drowning in Diagnostics.
Chunjian Robin Liu, Celina Gibbs, and Yvonne Coady, University of Victoria, Canada.

16:40 - 17:00

DownloadA Biologist's View of Software Evolution.
DeLesley Hutchins, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

17:00 - 17:30 Panel on Tools and Middleware for Software Evolution.

Workshop Closing: Walter Cazzola, Shigeru Chiba, Gunter Saake and Tom Tourwé.

Organizing Committee

Walter Cazzola, DICo Università di Milano, Italy
Shigeru Chiba, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
Gunter Saake, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Germany.
Tom Tourwé, Centrum voor Wiskunde and Informatica (CWI), in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.