Software Engineering NotesProgramming languages and software engineering are naturally synergistic. On the one hand, the programming languages we use have significant influence on our ability to engineer, at reasonable cost, complex software systems that have particular desired properties. On the other hand, problems that vex software engineers can often be captured and managed by the effective design of programming languages.
Over the years, however, the research communities in these two areas have slowly diverged. Just focusing on the SIGSOFT and SIGPLAN worlds: in the decade before SIGSOFT was formed, I'm confident that SIGPLAN members considered as one body material that we now distinguish as programming languages and as software engineering; the papers that have appeared in ACM TOSEM since its first publication in 1992 would have been very much at home in ACM TOPLAS before that; and the first two Symposia on Software Development Environments were co-sponsored by SIGSOFT and SIGPLAN, but the more recent three were sponsored solely by SIGSOFT.
Don't mistake this as a plea to merge the two SIGs into one: indeed, the increased separation is neither surprising nor bad, since the fields have quite properly grown and built their own character as they have each taken on new dimensions. However, as the communities have diverged, we havemore than occasionally forgotten the inherent synergy between the two areas. And this has, in many cases, made the research on both sides of the aisle less effective than is possible and is necessary.
As the problems of developing and maintaining software become increasingly important (from a societal and economic point of view) and increasingly complex (from a technical point of view), we can no longer afford such lapses in communication. This observation led to a workshop held at Stanford University this past September. John Mitchell and Carolyn Talcott hosted the meeting, which was attended by about twenty members of the two research communities. The primary objective was to identify the scientific and engineering issues of greatest merit and importance that need the collective attention of the two communities.
Dick Kieburtz and Helen Gill from NSF and John Salasin from ARPA also attended the workshop, showing that the funding agencies are well aware of the potential benefits of increased synergy between programming languages and software engineering. In fact, NSF and ARPA are in the process of announcing a joint program in the area of foundational research in software engineering for the development and evolution of complex software systems. They expect a pilot effort to provide funding for a small number of proposals. If the pilot is successful (and if funding is available), they anticipate continuing this program in the future. (Details are forthcoming shortly from NSF.)
In addition, the Stanford workshop whetted the appetite of several of us to further pursue this theme of drawing the two communities closer together. Although the planning is still preliminary, John Mitchell and I plan to co-chair another workshop focusing on this topic in Spring 1996. It is highly likely that this workshop will be held during the Federated Computing Research Conference (FCRC '96), which will be held May 20-28 in Philadelphia. A call for participation, with particulars, will be available soon on a variety of electronic bulletin boards, mailing lists, etc. If you want to make sure you get a copy of this, feel free to get in touch with me (my electronic and snail mail addresses are found inside the front cover of SEN).
(Sorry, I just wanted to say that. Maybe I have been listening to talk radio too much.:-) All issues are special, to me, but as you can tell by the new cover .. things are changing and let me count the ways:
BTW: everybody knows about the Software Engineering Institute in Pittsburgh, PA, but do you know about the European Software Institute? Check them out on http://www.esi.es - and while you're there, you might find the survey (under the section "International and European Initiatives" EXPRESS) worthwhile contributing to. Look for the results in an upcoming issue of SEN.
OK, back to the real world and this issue. Yes, there are four workshop/conference summaries and three book reviews, plus some pithy words (which some of you are bound to disagree with) from David Leciston to raise our level of awareness regarding our "profession." The odd collection of papers is what would fit. The next issue will probably be mostly papers, as I don't have many workshop or conference summaries lined up, but, if you know of one, please let me know.
Last but not least is first and foremost. Read David Notkin's comments on the SIGSOFT/SIGPLAN connection (if any) and, if you have any thoughts of your own, send them to David. (He's a nice guy and enjoys the attention. :-)
Finally, best wishes to all in the New Year. I am looking forward to it and
am grateful to have this opportunity to serve as your editor. .... Sooo, if
you have any questions or suggestions ... Fire at Will
Will Tracz
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