Matthias Felleisen

"Interfaces and Contracts"

(Vortrag im Rahmen der "Distinguished Lecture Series Spring 2006" des Max Planck Instituts für Software-Systeme)

Large software systems consist of dozens and hundreds of interlocking components. Software engineers adapt components from other suppliers, create their own, and glue all of these together in one large product. In this world, it becomes critical to pinpoint flaws quickly when software fails. Then the component consumer can request a fix from the producer of the faulty component or replace the component with an equivalent component from a different producer. To get to this world, programmers must learn to use interfaces and to enrich them with contractual specifications. Programming language researchers must explore interface-oriented programming in its most radical form and must evaluate its pragmatic consequences. In this talk, I report on our first steps in this direction, presenting empirical findings, research results, research plans, and wild speculations.