MUSE: Multi-Modal Software Evolution

MUSE：多模式软件演进

• 批准号: EP/W015927/2
• 负责人: Santanu Dash
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Surrey
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FW015927%2F2
• 关键词: MUSE; Multi; Modal; Software; Evolution

Software systems are heterogeneous, combining components developed by independent teams. Software developers rely on third-party libraries to cut development time and cost. The synergy between these components is crucial for the overall maintainability and health of the software system. Unfortunately, popular libraries are typically fast-moving and grow rapidly in size while catering to a diversity of client software. As libraries evolve and grow in size, developers tend to defer upgrades despite clear upgrade directives from the libraries, citing the cost of upgrade in both time and money. To build large and sustainable software systems, it is crucial that independently evolving software systems are synchronised automatically. Multi-Modal Software Evolution (MUSE) is a transformative step towards autonomous software maintenance where directives in software documentation for human developers will guide automated software upgrade. In MUSE, we will develop a novel approach to software upgrade that integrates upgrade directives for human developers into formal frameworks for program synthesis, generation and repair. We will include directives in documentation for libraries as first class objects in frameworks for reasoning and transformation of software. We will produce hybrid statistical-formal reasoning frameworks which will make human-to-human communication the main driver in automatic program transformation. Working closely with stakeholders through engagement events, we will develop both the theory and the tooling for automatic software upgrade to use newer versions of libraries. We will demonstrate the tools by upgrading client software that relies on fast-moving libraries and distribute the tools that we develop in multiple forms for developers at all skills levels, from enthusiasts to experienced developers, making our outputs widely accessible.

软件系统是异构的，组合了独立团队开发的组件。软件开发人员依靠第三方库来减少开发时间和成本。这些组件之间的协同对于软件系统的整体可维护性和健康至关重要。不幸的是，流行的库通常是快速发展的，规模迅速增长，同时迎合客户端软件的多样性。随着库的发展和规模的增长，开发人员倾向于推迟升级，尽管库有明确的升级指示，引用了升级的时间和金钱成本。为了构建大型和可持续的软件系统，独立发展的软件系统自动同步至关重要。多模态软件演化（MUSE）是迈向自主软件维护的变革性一步，其中面向人类开发人员的软件文档中的指令将指导自动化软件升级。在MUSE中，我们将开发一种新的软件升级方法，将人类开发人员的升级指令集成到程序合成，生成和修复的正式框架中。我们将在文档中包含库的指令，作为软件推理和转换框架中的第一类对象。我们将产生混合的形式化推理框架，这将使人与人之间的交流成为自动程序转换的主要驱动力。通过参与活动与利益相关者密切合作，我们将开发自动软件升级的理论和工具，以使用更新版本的库。我们将通过升级依赖于快速移动库的客户端软件来演示这些工具，并将我们开发的工具以多种形式分发给所有技能水平的开发人员，从爱好者到经验丰富的开发人员，使我们的输出广泛可用。