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On the mechanics of metasystem hierarchies in program transformation

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Logic Program Synthesis and Transformation (LOPSTR 1995)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1048))

Abstract

Self-applicable partial evaluators have been used for more than a decade for generating compilers and other program generators, but it seems hard to reason about the mechanics of hierarchies of program transformers and to describe applications that go beyond the ‘classical’ Futamura projections. This paper identifies and clarifies foundational issues involved in multi-level metasystem hierarchies. After studying the role of abstraction, encoding, and metasystem transition, the Futamura projections are reexamined and problems of their practical realization are discussed. Finally, preliminary results using a multi-level metaprogramming environment for self-application are reported. Connections between logic programming and metacomputation are made.

Partially supported by an Erwin-Schrödinger-Fellowship of the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF) under grant J0780 & J0964 and by the DART project funded by the Danish Natural Sciences Research Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DIKU, Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 1, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

    Robert Glück

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  1. Robert Glück
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Maurizio Proietti

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© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Glück, R. (1996). On the mechanics of metasystem hierarchies in program transformation. In: Proietti, M. (eds) Logic Program Synthesis and Transformation. LOPSTR 1995. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1048. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60939-3_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60939-3_18

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-60939-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-49745-5

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