Programming Language Feature Agglomeration

Feature-creep is a well-known phenomenon in software systems. In this paper, we argue that feature-creep also occurs in the domain of programming languages. Recent languages are more expressive than earlier languages. However recent languages generally extend rather than replace the syntax (sometimes) and semantics (almost always) of earlier languages. We demonstrate this trend of agglomeration in a sequence of languages comprising Pascal, C, Java, and Scala. These are all block-structured Algol-derived languages, with earlier languages providing explicit inspiration for later ones. We present empirical evidence from several language-specific sources, including grammar definitions and canonical manuals. The evidence suggests that there is a trend of increasing complexity in modern languages that have evolved from earlier languages

The LaTeX project: A case study of open-source software

This is a case study of TeX, a typesetting software that was developed by Donald E. Knuth in the late 70's. Released with an open source license, it has become a reference in scientific publishing. TeX is now used to typeset and publish much of the world's scientific literature in physics and mathematics. This case study is part of a wider effort by academics to understand the open-source phenomenon. That development model is similar to the organization of the production of knowledge in academia; there is no set organization with a hierarchy, but free collaboration that is coordinated spontaneously and winds up generating complex products that are the property of all who can understand its functioning. The case study was led by gathering qualitative data via interviews with TeX developers and quantitative data on the TeX community -- the program's code, the software that is part of the TeX distribution, the newsgroups dedicated to the software, and many other indicators of the evolution and activity in that open-source project. The case study is aimed at economists who want to develop models to understand and analyze the open-source phenomenon. It is also geared towards policy-makers who would like to encourage or regulate open- source, and towards open-source developers who wonder what are the efficient strategies to make an open-source project successful.TeX, LaTeX, case study, open source, software, innovation, organisational structure, economic history, knowledge production, knowledge diffusion.

Metadata and security management in a persistent store

Since its emergence in the early eighties, persistence has become an important branch of Computer Science. Many persistent systems have now been developed and a wide variety of related issues have been well researched. Two areas which have received little attention are metadata management and security enforcement. This paper investigates the incorporation of these features into an existing persistence machine. The CPOMS (Persistent Object Management System in C) was used as a vehicle for the study, because of its popularity and reliability. We discuss design alternatives, motivate those selected for this experiment and illustrate how they have been implemented. Our results are evaluated, highlighting some areas for future work