MODULARITY

Various technologies exist for "untangling" the many concerns that arise within systems software, such as macros, components, traits, context layers and aspects. These actively evolving approaches provide very different ways of dealing with the complexities of infrastructure software, but despite their differences, they have much in common. For instance, macros are a fast, simple technique for modularizing low-level operations. At a higher level, component models try to free the developer from the need to deal directly with services such as security and transactions. Macros, aspects, components, context layers and traits can be used individually or in combination to improve the modularization of software.

MISS 2013 is an effort to put existing and new modularization techniques for systems software (such as macros, context layers and aspects) into a common reference frame, to show their commonalities and their differences, to draw boundaries of their application areas, and to analyze how they complement or substitute each other. The focus is on applying the techniques in the development of modern infrastructure software, which presents special challenges in dealing with the issues described above: complexity, correctness, performance, and pragmatics.

Whereas the original ACP4IS workshops traditionally only focused on aspects, components and patterns, MISS 2013 does not limit itself to these three modularization techniques. Similar to the main MODULARITY: AOSD 2013 conference, MISS 2013 considers any kind of modularity, and actively solicits work on closely related topics, such as empirical studies on modularity and tool support.