Side‐effects in Automatic File Updating
Webb Miller, Eugene Wimberly Myers · Software Practice and Experience · 1986
File update programs, such as the UNIX make command are invaluable, but enigmatic. They are difficult to write because the repercussions of an algorithmic variation can be elusive. Even experienced users often specify file relationships incorrectly, and are occasionally suprised by the tool's behaviour. This paper develops a rigorous conceptual model and employs it to answer some of the questions facing writers and users of file update tools. Coupled with empirical data about makefiles, these results motivate a conceptually simple update program.