Extending reliability: transformational tailoring of abstract mathematical software
J. M. Boyle · OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) · 1978
Production of software tailored to an individual application is addressed. The use of abstract programs is suggested because such programs capture the essence of a numerical algorithm without cluttering it with irrelevant detail. Various concrete executable programs can then be constructed automatically from an abstract prototype program by applying transformations based on theorems of matrix algebra and on ''algebraic'' properties of programing languages. This method offers the hope of being able to provide a user with highly efficient programs tailored to his environment while maintaining the advantages of high reliability and low cost associated with routines from the best mathematical software libraries. (RWR)