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From: rfg@NCD.COM (Ron Guilmette)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Generating C++ from a prototype -- examples
Message-ID: <4193@lupine.NCD.COM>
Date: 2 Mar 91 20:12:43 GMT
References: <1991Feb26.202515.28688@lth.se>
Organization: Network Computing Devices, Inc., Mt. View, CA
Lines: 43

In article <1991Feb26.202515.28688@lth.se> dag@control.lth.se (Dag Bruck) writes:
>
>>1.  If the the design is well-understood and verified, for example by
>>implementing a prototype, we can generate header files and stubs from
>>the prototype. 
>
>The first example is Ibuild, a user interface builder...

>The second example is TeleUse, another user interface management system...

>The third example is not directly related to C++, but perhaps the most
>interesting because it goes beyond computer programming.  Simnon is a
>simulator package for non-linear systems...

These three examples are indeed good examples of a category of systems
which are sometimes refered to as "Fourth Generation Languages", i.e.
"automatic programming" systems designed to minimize the amount of
specification and effort needed to create some hunk of software for
some very narrow applications area.

I have to admit that Dag's examples do (to some extent) disprove my
contention that you can't get an implementation from a mere specification
(where the "specification" could be loosely viewed as a sort of "interface"
and vise versa).  Obviously, there *are* systems which can "build" the
implementation for you as long as you are only dealing with some narrow
applications area where there exists a known "pattern" for the typical
sorts of implementation code needed.

My contention was for the general case however.  As of now, I know of no
system, either experimental or commercial, which can do a reasonably
good job of intelligently selecting data structures and algorithims
to solve random problems which span various application areas.  (If there
was such a system, I might be out of a job! :-)

Perhaps when those fellows working on "Deep Thought" get their machine
to win the World Chess Championship they will become bored with chess
and move along to this separate (but equally interesting) problem.

-- 

// Ron Guilmette  -  C++ Entomologist
// Internet: rfg@ncd.com      uucp: ...uunet!lupine!rfg
// New motto:  If it ain't broke, try using a bigger hammer.