Composition in Multiparadigm Specification Techniques
Lynne Blair, Gordon S. Blair · 1999
Introduction Multi-paradigm specification techniques are not a particularly new concept, but are referred to under different names depending on the audience. For example, Kiczales' aspects [17], Zave and Jackson's multi-paradigm approach [24], ODP's viewpoints [21][8], Finkelstein and Spanoudakis' perspectives [13] and our earlier work based on a separation of concerns [4] are all, at heart, addressing the same issue: the structuring of large and complex software systems. A key advantage of such an approach is that the overall system behaviour can be subdivided into different aspects (or viewpoints, perspectives, etc.), each of which is specified separately. Furthermore, different aspects may use different specification languages. As a result, a language particularly suited to the needs of a given aspect can be selected, rather than being forced to use the same language throughout the entire system specification. However, although there are clear advantages to a multi-paradigm appro...