ExCIS: An Integration of Domain-Specific Languages and Feature-Oriented Programming1

ExCIS is a methodology and tool suite that integrates the technologies of domain-specific languages (DSLs) and feature-oriented programming (FOP). DSLs offer compact specifications of programs in domain-specific notations that are easier to write, maintain, and evolve. FOP raises the level of abstraction in system programming from compositions of code-centric components to compositions of modules that implement individual and largely orthogonal features. ExCIS provides state-of-the-art tools for creating easier-to-specify, easier-to-maintain, and easier-to-change systems. It is being developed for STRICOM to create next-generation simulators for the U.S. Army.