Composition of Libraries, Software Parts and Problem Solving Environments
John R. Rice · Purdue e-Pubs (Purdue University System) · 1989
We consider the problem of creating very large software systems by composing existing software. As components of this process we consider software library ele-ments, software parts and problem solving systems. These items are briefly defined and their principal characteristics given. We discuss the relationship of these items to objects in object oriented programming. The mechanics of the composition are dis-cussed, the key issues are identified and the trade offs discussed. The principal tradeoff is, of course, programming effort versus execution time efficiency. We consider several examples and conclude that building very large software systems as a set of cooperat-ing, somewhat autonomous, pans is a promising direction for research.