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Technical Dimensions of Programming Systems

Jakubovic, Joel, Edwards, Jonathan, Petricek, Tomas (2023) Technical Dimensions of Programming Systems. The Art, Science, and Engineering of Programming, 7 (3). Article Number 13. ISSN 2473-7321. (doi:10.22152/programming-journal.org/2023/7/13) (KAR id:100261)

Abstract

Programming requires much more than just writing code in a programming language. It is usually done in the context of a stateful environment, by interacting with a system through a graphical user interface. Yet, this wide space of possibilities lacks a common structure for navigation. Work on programming systems fails to form a coherent body of research, making it hard to improve on past work and advance the state of the art.

In computer science, much has been said and done to allow comparison of programming languages, yet no similar theory exists for programming systems; we believe that programming systems deserve a theory too.

We present a framework of technical dimensions which capture the underlying characteristics of programming systems and provide a means for conceptualizing and comparing them.

We identify technical dimensions by examining past influential programming systems and reviewing their design principles, technical capabilities, and styles of user interaction. Technical dimensions capture characteristics that may be studied, compared and advanced independently. This makes it possible to talk about programming systems in a way that can be shared and constructively debated rather than relying solely on personal impressions.

Our framework is derived using a qualitative analysis of past programming systems. We outline two concrete ways of using our framework. First, we show how it can analyze a recently developed novel programming system. Then, we use it to identify an interesting unexplored point in the design space of programming systems.

Much research effort focuses on building programming systems that are easier to use, accessible to non-experts, moldable and/or powerful, but such efforts are disconnected. They are informal, guided by the personal vision of their authors and thus are only evaluable and comparable on the basis of individual experience using them. By providing foundations for more systematic research, we can help programming systems researchers to stand, at last, on the shoulders of giants.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.22152/programming-journal.org/2023/7/13
Uncontrolled keywords: Theoretical Computer Science, Modeling and Simulation, Software, Computational Theory and Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence
Subjects: Q Science > QA Mathematics (inc Computing science)
T Technology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences > School of Computing
Funders: Czech Science Foundation (https://ror.org/01pv73b02)
SWORD Depositor: JISC Publications Router
Depositing User: JISC Publications Router
Date Deposited: 18 Apr 2023 15:00 UTC
Last Modified: 19 Apr 2023 11:27 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/100261 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Jakubovic, Joel.

Creator's ORCID:
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Petricek, Tomas.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7242-2208
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