WG211/M2Ossher

Title: Concepts for Describing Composition of Software Artifacts

Harold Ossher

Abstract: A key element of aspect-oriented software technology is composition (or weaving) of the software pertaining to different concerns into an integrated whole. This talk explores the compositor component as a new, distinct, kind of software component. This is analogous to recognizing that compilers, parsers, and generators are distinct kinds of software components. Each has its own domain of discourse and base of concepts, its own structure for expressing desired results, its own internal solution structure, and its own set of research problems. In this talk, I'll describe a base of concepts suitable for expressing composition of both code and non-code artifacts and indicate how a general composition engine realizing these concepts can be used to effect the composition needs of several existing AOSD approaches.