By Peter Bell

Mark Dalgarno and the Code Generation Network

Posted At : January 15, 2007 11:57 AM | Posted By : Peter Bell
Related Categories: Application Generation, People
I met up with Mark Dalgarno this morning. He is editor of the Code Generation Network, organizer of the Code Generation Conference in Cambridge (England) in May of this year, and principle of Software Acumen - a company that helps businesses to implement Software Product Lines.

It was interesting to learn more about his approaches to and experiences with Software Product Lines. If you are interested in Code Generation, you should definitely check out the CGN, if you'll be in the UK in May and get a chance, the Conference looks very exciting, and if you happen to work for a company looking to implement a software product line and want some advice, Mark's company might provide a great starting point!

Can’t wait to attend the conference in May! And keep an eye on this stuff. I'd predict that in many ways, application generation (encompassing code generation, software product lines, domain specific languages, language workbenches and language oriented programming) will be as influential over the next ten years as Object Oriented programming has been over the last ten.

Maybe instead of learning another programming language this year you might want to check out another programming paradigm instead!

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"I'd predict that in many ways, application generation (encompassing code generation, software product lines, domain specific languages, language workbenches and language oriented programming) will be as influential over the next ten years as Object Oriented programming has been over the last ten."

I'd be apt to agree with you there.

"Maybe instead of learning another programming language this year you might want to check out another programming paradigm instead! "

I always felt my experiences in other languages helped me find new paradigms! =)
# Posted By Sam | 1/15/07 12:40 PM
Hi Sam,

They do! But I still think there is benefit in focusing on the paradigms once in a while. You'd probably learn about DSLs from the Ruby world (if you didn't know about them already), but Ruby is just a language with support for self extension that facilitates in-language DSLs rather than everything you need to know about DSLs :->

For instance, Intentional Software, MetaCase, Microsofts Software Factories practice and the OMGs MDA approach are all things you might not come across if you ONLY checked out specific programming languages!

You're right though, the biggest benefit of learning new types of languages are the new conceptual constructs that they provide to you . . .
# Posted By Peter Bell | 1/15/07 12:50 PM
Oh, I completely agree. The way I look at it, the language gives me the introduction to the paradigm. After that, it is up to me to explore it on its own.

Speaking of DSLs in particular, I need to do some more reading on them. Ruby did introduce me to the concept (as far as I can remember), but I haven't dug as deep as I'd like (unlike you, my day has only 24 hours, while yours seem to last weeks from the outside =) ).

Some of the links you have provided have been substantially beneficial to me, so I'd like to thank you for those while I'm at it.

Cheers,

Sam
# Posted By Sam | 1/15/07 12:58 PM
Glad you've enjoyed the links! Will continue to offer more links and analysis - especially now Mark has turned me on to a bunch of other meta-programming resources that I'd currently digesting. Tomorrow should be a big day for blog posts :->
# Posted By Peter Bell | 1/15/07 1:02 PM
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