Research and Advances

A software design and evaluation system

A critical failure of current software system design and implementation methodology is that the performance of a proposed design is not evaluated before it is actually implemented. In this paper the reasons for this failure are explored, and a new methodology which overcomes many of the difficulties is proposed. A system which integrates performance evaluation with design and implementation is described. This system is based on a simple, high level language which is used to describe the evolving system at all stages of its development. The source language description is used as direct input to performance analysis and simulation routines. Using the performance information obtained from these routines as feedback, the problems which adversely affect performance are detected early enough so that they can be corrected without costly major reimplementation of the proposed system.

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Research and Advances

The MAD definition facility

One of the first definition facilities for higher level languages is described. Users of the language can define new operators and/or data types into the MAD language, so that their use appears as if they were predefined. Information is given on how one writes definitions, as well as on much of the motivation behind the form in which definitions are written. Some conclusions are drawn about future definitional facilities.
Research and Advances

An algorithm for equivalence declarations

Many algebraic translators provide the programmer with a limited ability to allocate storage. Of course one of the most desirable features of these translators is the extent to which they remove the burden of storage allocation from the programmer. Nevertheless, there are situations in which one wishes to make certain vectors and arrays contiguous, coincident, or overlapping. This is made possible in FORTRAN by the use of COMMON and EQUIVALENCE statements, in MAD by the use of PROGRAM COMMON, ERASABLE, and EQUIVALENCE statements, etc.

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