Com S 541 -- Programming Languages 1			January 19, 1993

     HOMEWORK 0-M: How does programming language research relate
		       to Software Engineering?

Due: January 24, 1992

The faculty search committee of a prominent software engineering department
is thinking of hiring a researcher who specializes in programming languages.
Some of the faculty have said that such a person just wouldn't fit in,
because everyone in the department currently specializes in software
engineering.  You have been hired to describe any connections between
software engineering research and research in programming languages.
Your task is to tell them:
	* What, if any, common problems exist between programming languages
	  and software engineering.
	* What programming language ideas might be useful to research in
	  software engineering.
	* What problems in programming languages might be amenable to attack
	   by the results or techniques of researchers in software engineering,
	   if any.
	* What tools or techniques someone who is educated in programming
	   language design and semantics (for example students of a new
	   faculty member in programming languages) would have that would
	   be useful, even if not directly for research in
	   software engineering.
Concrete evidence would be useful.  You can give personal anecdotes if you
have them, but would be good to look for joint publications, conferences
about software engineering and programming languages,
programming languages that embody aspects of software engineering theory
or practice directly, parts of software engineering that are like
programming languages, theory in programming languages that overlaps,
etc.

This is a group project.  Your group is to
	* prepare a written summary of your arguments, and
	* make a short (about 5-6 minute) oral presentation
The style of oral presentation is up to you; you can have one
person talk, or several.

(If you need transparencies or copies made, let Gary know
far enough in advance to have them made in time for the class.)