Paper Info
Title
A Calculus Of Evolving Objects
Abstract
The demands of developing modern, highly dynamic applications have led to an increasing interest in dynamic programming languages and mechanisms. Not only must applications evolve over time, but the object models themselves may need to be adapted to the requirements of different run-time contexts. Class-based models and prototype-based models, for example, may need to co-exist to meet the demands of dynamically evolving applications. Multi-dimensional dispatch, fine-grained and dynamic software composition, and run-time evolution of behaviour are further examples of diverse mechanisms which may need to co-exist in a dynamically evolving run-time environment. How can we model the semantics of these highly dynamic features, yet still offer some reasonable safety guarantees?To this end we present an original calculus in which objects can adapt their behaviour at run-time. Both objects and environments are represented by first-class mappings between variables and values. Message sends are dynamically resolved to method calls. Variables may be dynamically bound, making it possible to model a variety of dynamic mechanisms within the same calculus. Despite the highly dynamic nature of the calculus, safety properties are assured by a type assignment system.
Year
Venue
Keywords
2008
SCIENTIFIC ANNALS OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
object model,software composition
Field
DocType
Volume
Computer science,Knowledge-based systems,Function composition (computer science),Dynamic programming languages,Calculus,Semantics
Journal
18
ISSN
Citations 
PageRank 
1843-8121
6
0.61
References 
Authors
19
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Mariangiola Dezani-Ciancaglini11615193.57
Paola Giannini244950.00
Oscar Nierstrasz32404346.86