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- Path: suez.iconcomp.com!not-for-mail
- From: dsouza@suez.iconcomp.com (Desmond F. D'Souza)
- Newsgroups: comp.object,comp.lang.idl,comp.lang.java,comp.specification.larch,comp.specification.misc,comp.specification.z,comp.software-eng,comp.object.logic,comp.databases.object,comp.lang.smalltalk,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.objective-c,comp.lang.eiffel
- Subject: OOA/D and Corba/IDL: A Common Base
- Date: 2 Jan 1996 00:47:28 -0600
- Organization: ICON Computing Inc.
- Distribution: inet
- Message-ID: <4cake0$7o6@suez.iconcomp.com>
- NNTP-Posting-Host: 204.251.58.65
- X-RTcode: 27fe8d7c301f2ab1bce8d5bf
- Keywords: OOA/D,methods,Corba,IDL,specification
-
- Re: The OMG's efforts on OOA/D Methods and IDL
-
- The OMG has launched a renewed effort to work towards a common basis for OOA/D
- methods and for IDL extensions. The goals of this effort, through the current
- RFI and upcoming RFPs, include:
-
- - Identify a common semantic basis for OOA/D methods and meta-models
- - Identify extensions to IDL towards behavioral specification
- (i.e. beyond plain signatures)
- - Work towards a common repository model and tool interchange facilities
-
- The paper listed below outlines an approach to addressing these needs. The
- paper is available for Web access, or postscript may be downloaded.
-
- OOA/D and Corba/IDL: A Common Base
- ==================================
-
- Abstract: The OMG's principal aims of widespread re-use and interoperability
- cannot be realized without precise, abstract behavioral definitions of
- interfaces and architectures. Interoperability of models and specifications
- across OOA/D methods and tools requires them to have a common semantic
- basis. Since specification constructs will vary, any solution must be flexible
- enough to permit a component to be selected based only on those parts of its
- specifications that a search tool understands.
-
- This paper shows how "traits" -- individual named properties --- form a
- semantic basis for interchange of behavioral descriptions. Traits are composed
- into "theories", bodies of knowledge about specifications, types, modeling
- constructs, framework descriptions, and so on. Theories build upon each other
- by import. Everything from OOA modeling constructs, down to the nature of
- objects and basic ideas of logic is expressed in the theory heirarchy, rather
- than built into the notation itself. Every trait is asserted within the context
- of a theory containing everything that must be understood to make complete
- sense of it.
-
- The paper shows how specifications written in different OOA/D notations can be
- given a solid semantics by translation to theories. Different notations have
- different underlying object models --- themselves expressed as theories. To
- switch from one notation to another, substitute a different theory of
- objects. Systematic translations from one theory to another can be defined. We
- illustrate with an extension to IDL for behavioral specification, and with
- OOA/D constructs as defined in the "Catalysis" method.
-
- ====================
-
- The paper is available on-line from:
- <A HREF="http://www.iconcomp.com/papers"> OMG, OOA/D, and IDL </A>
- (Web-browsable or postscript)
- The same location also has a detailed description of the Catalysis method.
- --
-
- * ICON Computing, 12343 Hymeadow Dr., Suite 3C, Austin, TX 78750 *
- * Phone: 512.258.8437 Fax: 512.258.0086 email: info@iconcomp.com *
- * For a growing OO repository visit: http://www.iconcomp.com *
-