Agenda

The Fading Boundary between Development Time and Run Time
by Prof. Carlo Ghezzi, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Modern software applications are often embedded in highly dynamic contexts. Changes may occur in the requirements, in the behavior of the environment in which the application is embedded, in the usage profiles that characterize interactive aspects. Changes are difficult to predict and anticipate, and are out of control of the application. Their occurrence, however, may be disruptive, and therefore the software must also change accordingly. In many cases, changes to the software cannot be handled off-line, but require the software to self-react by adapting its behavior dynamically, in order to continue to ensure the required quality of service. The big challenge in front of us is how to achieve the necessary degrees of flexibility and dynamism required in this setting without compromising dependability of the applications.