Program adaptation based on program transformation

Abstract

Much research effort in program transformation has traditionally been devoted to better compile programs. Key examples include program optimization and program parallelization. Program transformation has sometimes been used in program development to derive implementations from high-level specifications.This position paper advocates another promising application of program transformation: program adaptation . That is, the ability for a program to adapt to the context in which it is used. We claim that program adaptation is a key technique in the program development process and is applicable to real size systems.In the following sections, we first explain why program adaptation is important and what this process involves. Then, we discuss how program adaptation can be achieved. Finally, we outline research directions which can contribute to this line of work.