published_or_final_version / Computer Science / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Florida, 2001. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 79 p.; also contains graphics. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-78).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. [167]-176).

Thesis (M.S. in computer science)--Washington State University. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2005. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-107). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S. in computer science)--Washington State University, August 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Aug. 5, 2009). "School of Engineering and Computer Science." Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-61).

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2006. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 34-36). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 169-181). Also available in print.

The design and implementation of a language-independent, interactive system to facilitate the analysis and symbolic debugging of computer programs written in high-level languages is presented. The principal features of the system, called RAIDE, are: (1) Host source language independence is supported by the abstraction of language entities and constructs (for example, variables, constants, procedures, statements, and events) with a language interfacer providing language-dependent details; (2) Translators can cooperate with RAIDE at varying levels of detail; (3) The user interacts with RAIDE and an executing object program using an extendable debugging language, called Dispel; (4) Primitive debugging actions are kept to a minimum and nonprimitive actions (for example, tracing, snapshots, and postmortem dumping) are provided by user-supplied and library procedures written in Dispel; and (5) The implementation is aided by simulation of a virtual debugging machine, called SPAM. To demonstrate RAIDE's feasibility, a prototype implementation was undertaken, including a SPAM simulator and the modification of two language translators (namely, Asple and BCPL) to interface with RAIDE. Besides describing the external and internal designs of the debugging system, the abstract machine, and the debugging language, the thesis also discusses the advantages and shortcomings of each of these components. Numerous examples of debugging commands written in Dispel are given. Two significant side-effects of the research are reported; reflections on the software tools supporting the implementation, and suggestions for translator design to facilitate run-time debugging. The thesis contains a substantial annotated bibliography and an extensive index. / Science, Faculty of / Computer Science, Department of / Unknown