The primary focus of the Ada Semantic Interface Specification (ASIS) Working Group and ASIS Rapporteur Group has been to evolve ASIS as an interface to the Ada 95 compilation environment. ASIS now provides a powerful mechanism to perform code analysis for mission-critical and safety-critical applications. A variety of highly effective tools have been built using ASIS. This interface should be an approved ISO standard by November 1998.
 

• But, where do we go from here?

The ASIS standard provides for conforming extensions. The ASIS compiler vendor community is already providing extensions.
 

• Would it be desirable to identify a secondary layer of such interfaces to support greater portability of ASIS programs?
• If so, which category of interfaces are needed; OO interfaces, library interfaces; tasking interfaces; run-time interfaces?

A Program View Layer was provided for Ada 83.
 

• Is such a layer desirable for ASIS for Ada 95?

ASIS currently provides a number of mechanisms to address OO analysis. The last couple of interfaces added to the ASIS standard provided direct benefit to the OO community.
 

• Would additional mechanisms be of value to the OO community?

A number of tutorials exist on the ASIS Home Page (http://www.acm.org/sigada/wg/asiswg).
 

• Are these useful to software engineers wanting to use ASIS?
• Would tutorials addressing a different focus be valuable?

Currently there is no textbook on the bookshelves addressing the value of ASIS and how to use ASIS effectively.
 

• Would such a book be desirable?
• Is this something we could author ourselves?

Some have suggested a closer tie to the analysis of linked object code and even run-time debugging tools.
 

• Would it be desirable to evolve extensions to facilitate such analysis?
• Or should we say we have completed our job, pat ourselves on the back and go home?

Participants from the compiler vendor community, tool vendor community, and user community will be asked to identify needs not addressed by the ASIS standard. Hopefully their thoughts will trigger your ideas to identify things the ASIS Community should be doing to better support the Ada community.

The results will be presented in a conference session, published in Ada Letters, and will guide the activities of the ASIS community for years to come.  Your input will be extremely valuable in planning your future. Please plan on coming.

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updated October 6, 1998