Common Framework Initiative - Status of Language Design

[pdmosses@brics.dk]

COMMON FRAMEWORK INITIATIVE - STATUS OF LANGUAGE DESIGN

[This unif-task list is restricted to announcements concerning 
meetings and overall coordination.  Please direct follow-ups 
concerning language design issues to unif-lang@daimi.aau.dk.]

SUMMARY:

* Common Framework Initiative acronym: changed from CFI to CoFI
  - the WWW pages and FTP archives will be updated accordingly

* Common Language design milestones (revised after Oxford meetings):
  
   15  June     96      Proposal for tentative language design available
                        - comments by all CoFI participants invited

   5-7 July     96      Language Design task group meeting in Munich
                        - to finalize tentative language design

   15  July     96      Tentative language design available
                        - assessment by other task groups starts

       December 96      Revision of tentative language design

       January  97      Proposal for final language design available
                        - comments by research community invited

       Spring   97      Submission of final language design
                        - approval by IFIP WG 14.3 requested

DETAILS:

At the meeting of the CoFI Language Design Group at Oxford, 16-19
March 1996, many different aspects of the CoFI Common Language were
discussed, based on previously-compiled Language Study Notes
(available by WWW and FTP from the CoFI archives).  Agreement between
those at the meeting was reached on a number of issues - including the
minor one of changing the acronym of the Common Framework Initiative
from CFI to CoFI (pronounced like "coffee"), to avoid a clash with the
so-called "CAD Framework Initiative" (CFI, see URL: http://www.cfi.org).

The original aim, as stated under "Milestones" on the CoFI WWW pages,
was to adopt a tentative common language design at this meeting.
However, it turned out that our schedule had been too ambitious: not
only were several of the longer study notes ready only a few days
before the meeting, but also the meeting did not manage to resolve
some outstanding issues on which there was significant divergence of
opinion or confusion.  The other task groups were supposed to start
assessing the tentative language design with regard to semantics,
tools, methods, etc., straight after the Oxford meeting, but this had
to be postponed.

Since the Oxford meeting, the CoFI task coordinators have been
involved in intense e-mail discussions between themselves, with the
aim of ensuring that the next CoFI meeting will produce more tangible
results.  (Unfortunately we have all had very busy periods due to
other commitments, which has delayed us.  It was felt that a premature
statement would be counter-productive, although we were acutely aware
of the bad impression that our apparent lack of activity might give to
others.)  We are now converging rapidly on what we believe to be a
suitable basis for making (tentative) language design decisions.

A proposal by the CoFI Language Design task group, for a Tentative
Common Language Description, is to be made available by WWW and FTP by
mid-June, 1996.  Comments on it from all CoFI participants will be
most welcome.  

The next CoFI Language Design task group meeting will be held in Munich:

  Friday 5 July (after lunch) to Sunday 7 July (noon), 1996.

This is immediately after the AMAST'96 conference.  Please note that
the meeting is intended only for active participants of the Language
Design task group, and familiarity with the available study notes,
check-lists, etc., will be presumed.  This meeting is to resolve any
remaining technical questions concerning the tentative design
proposal, and to clarify the rationale for the various design choices.
This should result in the adoption (by the Language Design task group)
of a definite Tentative Common Language Description by mid-July, 1996.

The plan is then that the Semantics, Tools, Methodology, and Reactive
Systems task groups should assess the tentative language design from
their various perspectives, at the same time starting to prepare the
relevant associated documents that should eventually accompany the
CoFI Common Language Reference Manual.  The Language Design task group
should meanwhile turn its attention to the design of a concrete syntax
for the Common Language (the tentative language design will focus on
its abstract syntax) and to preparing examples of specifications.

Provided that the changes to the tentative language design suggested
by the various task groups are not too dramatic, the plan is to
converge on a proposal for a CoFI Common Language Definition by the
end of 1996.  This proposal should then be open to public debate for
some months, before a CoFI Common Language Definition based on it is
submitted to IFIP WG 14.3 for approval, probably in Spring 1997.

Note, however, that the Common Framework Initiative is a voluntary,
unfunded effort, and the plans outlined above may change, in response
to fluctuations in the available human resources.

---------------------------------------------
\  /  Peter D Mosses      <pdmosses@brics.dk>
CoFI  Common Framework Initiative Coordinator
/  \  URL:  http://www.brics.dk/Projects/CoFI
---------------------------------------------
Was CFI - Please note the new acronym and URL!