TOOLS Europe'2000

Le Mont St-Michel & St-Malo, France,
June 5-8, 2000 / 5-8 juin 2000

KEY NOTES / EXPOSES INVITES

Requirements Engineering: Use cases are from Mars, Generative languages are from Venus.

Presenter : Ian Graham (Principal Consultant, TriReme International, UK))

Abstract :

This presentation will show that although use cases are an excellent tool for system specification, they are NOT about requirements. It will discuss how how to go about use case modelling in a sound way and show why so many organizations have difficulties and explain how they may be avoided. Several examples based on real project experience will be presented. The title refers to the arrogance of expecting users to the that language of developers (UML). Graham will show that what is needed is project, organization and culture-specific languages that both users and developers can speak and understand; and how to go about createing then very rapidly. This leads to a shared understanding of the problem and solution space and improves the chance of successful iterative development greatly.

The future of component-based development

Presenter : Bertrand Meyer (Interactive Software Engineering, USA)

Abstract :

An analysis of current developments in the field of component-based software development, the evolution of the major supporting technologies, and possible solutions to the main challenges in this area.

Component Contracts

Presenter : John Daniels (Consultant, Syntropy Ltd, UK)

Abstract :

The recent surge of interest in component technologies, driven at least in part by the desire for easy reconfiguration and substitution, has highlighted the need for proper definition of software component interfaces. Although this need has long been understood in the object community, and many techniques for precise specification have been developed, the larger scale of components brings new factors into play, in particular a consideration of the human roles played in the construction of component-based systems. In this talk John Daniels will challenge the oft-heard and simplistic claim that component contracts are best characterised by "the services provided and required", and look at the many different kinds of contract needed by people playing different roles.

Impact of Mobile Computing on Software Construction

Presenter : Wolfgang Pree (University of Constance, Germany)

Abstract :

Mobile/cellular computing devices significantly enlarge the base of networked gadgets. Due to limited hardware resources, the software components in these devices have to be small. As most of the devices will be networked, an adhoc coupling of these distributed components represents an alternative to conventional monolithic applications. The components then have to negotiate how to accomplish certain tasks. The talk discusses basic concepts of such adaptive sofware systems where components can test each others capabilities and check whether they can cooperate. Case studies exemplify that adaptive components form a natural paradigm for software construction in a networked computing context. The trend towards small mobile devices also influences the way we interact with computers. An overview of current projects carried out in our research group rounds out the presentation, illustrating some applications that become possible only through mobile gadgets.

Teaching Design: The rest is SMOP

Presenter : Jim Coplien (Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at Bell Laboratories, USA)