An application framework for compositional modularity
Guruduth S. Banavar · 1995
This dissertation presents a framework for the application of compositional modularity, a module model that facilitates extensive reuse of highly decomposed software. Compositional modularity supports not only the traditional notions of program decomposition and encapsulation but also effective mechanisms for module recomposition. Based on a previously developed model, a suite of operators individually achieve effects of adaptation and combination on a simple notion of modules viewed as self-referential namespaces. This dissertation extends the previous model by introducing the notion of hierarchical nesting as a composition operation. Furthermore, this work shows that compositional modularity is unifying in scope. Important effects and idioms of advanced modularity, including several varieties of inheritance in object-oriented programming, find convenient expression within this model. Compositional modularity can be applied within a wide range of systems that manipulate self-referenti...