Little Languages: Little Maintenance?
By
ArieVanDeursen and
PaulKlint
JournalOfSoftwareMaintenance,
10:75-92, 1998
Abstract
So-called little, or
DomainSpecificLanguages (
DSLs), have the potential to make
SoftwareMaintenance simpler: domain-experts can directly use the
DSL to make required routine modifications. On the negative side, however, more substantial changes may become more difficult: such changes may involve altering the domain-specific language. This will require compiler technology knowledge, which not every commercial enterprise has easily available. Based on experience taken from industrial practice, we discuss the role of
DSLs in software maintenance, the dangers introduced by using them, and techniques for controlling the risks involved.
See