EAGER: Exploratory Research on Gradual Programming

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This EAGER grant explores early concepts of a new approach to computer programming. The semantic gap between what the programmer intends and what the code actually means significantly impedes efforts to improve programmer productivity, software reliability, and execution efficiency. To address the semantic gap, the project radically rethinks how to develop software. A new programming model, methodology, and system for ?gradual programming? will support the development of programs and programming language semantics in parallel. The vision advocates developing programs in a family of languages with varying semantics. Then, part of the development process involves nailing down the precise semantics of the program. A key issue involves the tradeoffs between expressiveness of a programming language and the ability to build tools capable of statically checking for programming errors. Such a vision is not without significant challenges and possible pitfalls, such as maintaining performance, and entrusting issues of programming language design to programmers. The project will study the sources of the semantic gap in the Java programming language to understand the problem better and articulate the approach more fully.