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"Team Ada: Ada Advocacy Issues (83 & 95)" <[log in to unmask]>
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Dirk Craeynest <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 16 Apr 2002 23:19:26 +0200
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------------------------------------------------------------------------

                        Call for Position Papers

              Workshop: Standard Container Library for Ada

                     June 21, 2002, Vienna, Austria

                 at the 7th International Conference on
            Reliable Software Technologies - Ada-Europe'2002

             http://www.ada-europe.org/conference2002.html
                         -> Program -> Workshop

                    *** REMINDER: DEADLINE MAY 1 ***

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Both contemporary dominant general purpose programming languages,
Java and C++, come equipped with a standard set of reusable containers,
such as Maps and Sets. There are quite a few Ada libraries for these
purposes, but there is little agreement on the exact details of a
standard container library. There is however a general feeling, as can
be witnessed on recent discussions on comp.lang.ada, that such a library
is important for Ada's future.

A standard container library is important for achieving many of Ada's
goals, top among them the use of reusable components for efficient
software engineering. Other important goals that can be served by a
standard container library are educational uses and efficient
implementation of common algorithms and data structures, which is
important for real-time systems.

Designing a useful standard container library for Ada is a difficult
task, as the language is used in a wide variety of different domains,
with different and at times conflicting demands. Hence the need for
debating and elaborating the issues among a group of interested Ada
users.

Scope
-----
The workshop will be confined to container library issues, and will not
address more general questions regarding the Ada standard library. The
library designed is intended to be a collection of abstract data types,
data structures (i.e., concrete data types), and common algorithms,
useful for sequential programming. Possible candidates for inclusion in
the library will be judged according to this mission statement.

Concurrent versions of the containers will be considered to the extent
that their inclusion will not interfere with the mission statement,
either by complicating the design, or by imposing unacceptable run-time
overhead. Part of the design process will be dedicated to exploring this
issue, including exploring how this can be related to the extendibility
of the library.

The suggested design should be based on standard Ada95 features.

Aims of the workshop
--------------------
The workshop participants should attempt to come up with two
deliverables:

* A set of core requirements that are deemed by the majority to be
  critical for applicability of the standard container library to their
  needs.

* A high level design for the library.

The workshop should help in forming a working group dedicated to
implementing a reference implementation of the proposed library.

The results of the workshop should form the basis for a recommendation
which would lead to the adoption of a standard container library as part
of the Ada standard library, in the next revision of the Ada language.
A first step towards this goal would be to achieve compiler vendor
support.

Participation
-------------
Participation to the workshop is limited to 25-35 individuals and is by
invitation upon acceptance of a submission.  Participants should submit
brief position papers (1 or 2 pages), including link to relevant source
code if at all possible. Experience reports, full research papers, etc.
can be referenced and circulated separately where appropriate.
All papers will be made available to workshop participants before the
workshop. The workshop will include talks based on the submitted papers
and intensive shepherded design sessions. The submissions and a workshop
summary will be published in the Ada User Journal.

Participants are encouraged to present a list of requirements from the
standard container library, categorized into essential, important, and
nice to have. Part of the workshop session will be dedicated to
establishing a master list of requirements.

Suggested programming problems for evaluating data structure libraries:
see http://www.auto.tuwien.ac.at/AE2002/problems.html

Submissions
-----------
Position Papers deadline: 1 May, 2002
Send to: Ehud Lamm ([log in to unmask])

Workshop co-chairs
------------------
John English (U. of Brighton)
Ehud Lamm (Open U. of Israel)

Date
----
The workshop is to be held on Friday, June 21st, 2002, in the morning.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this announcement.

[log in to unmask], Ada-Europe'2002 Publicity Chair

--
Dirk Craeynest            | Email [log in to unmask] | Ada-Belgium
Offis nv/sa - Aubay Group | Phone +32(2)725.40.25         | Ada-Europe
Gatti de Gamondstraat 145 |       +32(2)729.97.36 (work)  | ACM SIGAda
B-1180 Brussel, Belgium   | Fax   +32(2)725.40.12         | Team Ada

*** Intl. Conference on Reliable Software Technologies - Ada-Europe'2002
*** June 17-21, 2002, Vienna, Austria *** http://www.ada-europe.org/ ***

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