DSL09 Kickoff

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DSL09 Kickoff!

• Walid Mohamed Taha
• Rice University

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Overview of DSL09 Kickoff

• What is a DSL?
• Challenge Can we find our GCD
• Questions for the panel (Friday)
• Program committee report
• Overview of meeting agenda
• Discussants
• The DSL09 Blog

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Overview of DSL09 Kickoff

• What is a DSL?
• Challenge Can we find our GCD
• Questions for the panel (Friday)
• Program committee report
• Overview of meeting agenda
• Discussants
• The DSL09 Blog

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What is a DSL?
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Problem

• General Purpose Programming Languages Research
• Goal One language to rule them all
• Result FORTRAN, LISP, Scheme, ML, COBOL, C,
  C, Java, C, Python, Perl, ...

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Solution

• The domain-specific revolution
• Key idea
• One type of problem, or domain
• One domain-specific language, or DSL

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Examples from my research

• RIDL Reactive Systems
• PhyDL Physical modeling
• VPP Hardware description
• Uccello Visual programming

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The Killer Example MS Excel

• Taught in high school
• 55M users

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What is a DSL?

• A definition
• Why DSLs are here to stay
• How DSLs will transform our lives
• Questions for the week

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A Definition
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(No Transcript)
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Common examples mislead us

• Lex/yacc parsing
• SQL, Datalog data base management
• LaTeX, HTML document markup
• JavaScript Client-side applications

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Non-definitions

• A DSL is a little language
• A DSL is not a general purpose
• A DSL is for novices
• A DSL is not Turing complete

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Key insight

• DSL Jargon Formal Meaning

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Definition of a DSL

• A domain is well defined and central
• Notation is clear
• Informal meaning is clear
• Formal meaning is clear and realized

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Domain is clear
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How to define a domain

• Computer-based approach
• Example FSM, NP, Turing, etc ...
• User-based approach
• More meaningful to users
• More problem-oriented

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Notation is clear
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Informal meaning is clear
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Formal meaning is clear

• A association exists from notation to
• a mathematical expression, or ...

?
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Formal meaning is clear

• A association exists from notation to
• a mathematical expression, or
• a program

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Why DSLs are here to stay
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Codification and humanity

• Codification is as ancient as we are
• Language is essential for communication

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Codification is iterative

• Pictography -)
• Calligraphy
• Spelling
• Grammar

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Bigger ideas mean new patterns
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DSLs will transform our lives
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How DSLs helps us

• Is the main benefit of DSLs performance?
• Focus of work on yacc, SQL, data log
• Green concern reducing pollution
• or user (programmer) productivity?
• Harder to quantify, but is often the real win

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Cooking Recipes are algorithms

• Takes time
• Significant IP
• Mechanizable?

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Insurance and Privacy Policies

• Does it say what I understand?
• Is this covered?

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Self Expression and the Arts

• Traditional production is very costly
• New tools, new media and changing the landscape

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Initial set of questions

• What are the research priorities in this areas?
• What are the key technical challenges?
• What are the core tools available for work in
  this area?
• How does a practitioner go about building a DSL
  today?
• Should there be a DSL'10?

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We want your input!

• Tell us how close What is a DSL? gets to
  your views
• Suggest additional questions for the panel
  discussion

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(No Transcript)
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Overview of DSL09 Kickoff

• What is a DSL?
• Challenge Can we find our GCD
• Questions for the panel (Friday)
• Program committee report
• Overview of meeting agenda
• Discussants
• Blog

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Program Committee Report

• Submissions 48. Selected 18.
• Acceptance rate 38
• Almost submissions all got four reviews
• Categories
• Case studies (most popular)
• Tools and methods (second most popular)
• Semantics (small number)

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(No Transcript)
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Overview of DSL09 Kickoff

• What is a DSL?
• Challenge Can we find our GCD
• Questions for the panel (Friday)
• Program committee report
• Overview of meeting agenda
• Discussants
• The DSL09 Blog

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Meeting Agenda
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Discussants

• This is new, intended to encourage collaboration
• Talk format
• 25 minutes for speaker to present work
• 5 minutes for discussant to comment on work
• 10 minutes for open discussions
• Suggestions for discussants
• Several already posted on blog. In addition,
• Consider whether paper addresses a panel questions

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DSL09.blogspot.com

• Also new, intended to encourage collaboration )
  Use it to
• Keep up with conference, now and afterwards
• Tell the world what you think a DSL is!
• Post your discussant summary
• Do this after youve given it at the conference
• Pose or answer panel questions
• To answer questions you get at the conference
• Share recollections about Peter Landin