NSF Young Investigator: Object-Oriented Language Design and Implementation Research

面向对象编程承诺使程序更容易编写、更容易扩展和更容易重用。Cecil项目旨在通过集成语言设计、实现和编程环境研究来帮助面向对象技术实现这一承诺。Cecil语言是一种纯粹面向对象的语言，它是研究新语言功能的工具。目前的研究包括研究更灵活的基于对称多重分派的方法查找，调查高级静态类型系统在表达实际的面向对象编程问题方面的有效性，以及开发支持特定于应用程序的对象定制的新模块构造。编程环境对面向对象语言的这些和其他功能的支持对于有效使用面向对象的编程风格至关重要。高级语言设计和编程风格只有在有效实现的情况下才能影响实践。Vortex编译器项目正在研究全程序分析。面向对象程序的过程间分析是这项工作的基础，动态概要信息被视为编译器的一个组成部分，有助于编译器将精力集中在有利可图的优化上。面向对象语言的增量重新编译技术有助于保持较短的周转时间。Vortex编译器最初以Cecil语言为目标，未来计划提供其他语言(如C++)的前端。Vortex编译器是用Cecil本身编写的，为语言设计研究提供了反馈，也为编译器研究提供了一个现实的基准。

Object-oriented programming promises to make programs easier to write, easier to extend, and easier to reuse. The Cecil project aims to help object-oriented technology deliver on this promise through integrated language design, implementation, and programming environment research. The Cecil language is a purely object-oriented language which is serving as a vehicle for investigating new language features. Current research includes studying more flexible kinds of method lookup based on symmetric multiple dispatching, investigating the effectiveness of advanced static type systems at expressing practical object-oriented programming problems, and developing new module constructs that support application-specific tailoring of objects. Programming environment support for these and other features of object-oriented languages is crucial for effective use of object-oriented programming styles. Advanced language designs and programming styles only impact practice if efficient implementations are available. The Vortex compiler project is investigating whole-program analysis. Interprocedural analysis of object-oriented programs is the foundation of this work, dynamic profile information is treated as an integral component of the compiler, helping to focus the compiler's efforts on profitable optimizations. Incremental recompilation techniques for object-oriented languages help to keep turn-around time short. The Vortex compiler initially targets the Cecil language, with front-ends for other languages such as C++ planned for the future. The Vortex compiler is written in Cecil itself, providing feedback for the language design research and a realistic benchmark for the compiler research.