Scoped types and aspects for real-time Java memory management

  • Authors:

  • Chris Andreae;Yvonne Coady;Celina Gibbs;James Noble;Jan Vitek;Tian Zhao

  • Affiliations:

  • Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand;University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada;University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada;Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand;Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA;University of Wisconsin---Milwaukee, Milwaukee, USA

  • Venue:
  • Real-Time Systems
  • Year:
  • 2007

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

Real-time systems are notoriously difficult to design and implement, and, as many real-time problems are safety-critical, their solutions must be reliable as well as efficient and correct. While higher-level programming models (such as the Real-Time Specification for Java) permit real-time programmers to use language features that most programmers take for granted (objects, type checking, dynamic dispatch, and memory safety) the compromises required for real-time execution, especially concerning memory allocation, can create as many problems as they solve. This paper presents Scoped Types and Aspects for Real-Time Systems (STARS) a novel programming model for real-time systems. Scoped Types give programmers a clear model of their programs' memory use, and, being statically checkable, prevent the run-time memory errors that bedevil the RTSJ. Adopting the integrated Scoped Types and Aspects approach can significantly improve both the quality and performance of a real-time Java systems, resulting in simpler systems that are reliable, efficient, and correct.