From: Jackson Dodd
Subject: Conference on Domain-Specific Languages (DSL) - Call for Papers
Date: 
Message-ID: <E9xAxL.6D0@usenix.org>
Announcement and Call for Papers

Conference on Domain-Specific Languages
October 15-17, 1997 
Red Lion Resort--Santa Barbara, California 
==========================================

Sponsored by the USENIX Association 
In cooperation with ACM SIGPLAN (pending)

IMPORTANT DATES
===============
Papers due : June 13, 1997 
Author notification: July 10, 1997 
Camera-ready final papers due: September 2, 1997 

PROGRAM COMMITTEE
==================
Chris Ramming - AT&T Labs (Program Chair)

Thomas J. Ball - Lucent Bell Laboratories
Gerard Berry- CMA, Ecole des Mines de Paris
Jon Bentley - Lucent Bell Laboratories
Peter Buneman - University of Pennsylvania
Luca Cardelli - Digital Equipment Corporation
Steve Johnson - Transmeta Corporation
Takayuki Dan Kimura - Washington University
Todd Knoblock - Microsoft Research
David Ladd - Spyglass (Speaker Chair)
Adam Porter - University of Maryland
Jan Prins - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

INTRODUCTION
============
Language is central to the discipline of software engineering. 
Programmers use a variety of languages in their daily work, and 
new languages appear frequently. This proliferation is not 
gratuitous: each new language offers specific solutions to genuine 
software problems. However, not all languages address the problem 
of general-purpose computing: domain-specific languages (DSLs) 
are explicitly designed to cover only a narrow class of problems, 
while offering compelling advantages within that class. This 
conference is dedicated to the discussion of the unique aspects of DSL 
design, DSL implementation, and the use of DSLs in software 
engineering.

Domain-specific languages give rise to a number of questions. What 
are the design principles for the creation of new DSLs? How can the
process of DSL design be codified and structured? What roles can 
domain-specific languages play in software engineering? How does 
the use of domain-specific languages affect software engineering 
process? What are the tools, environments, and techniques needed to 
support the use of domain-specific languages? What are the concrete 
technical advantages and disadvantages of domain-specific 
languages? What are the economic costs and benefits of domain-
specific languages? These and other questions are the focus of this 
conference on domain-specific languages. 

The conference seeks to advance the practice of DSL design, DSL 
implementation, and software engineering generally by: 

-- eliciting examples of successful domain-specific languages 
-- highlighting the spectrum of benefits which domain-specific 
   languages can provide 
-- discovering design principles and methodologies for creating DSLs 
-- eliciting design techniques and tools for working with domain-
   specific languages throughout the software engineering lifecycle 
-- providing a framework within which language designers from 
   different domains can easily communicate 
-- establishing the practical value of domain-specific languages 
   through the publication of empirical data concerning productivity,
   quality, and maintainability 
-- creating a community that will continue to study and refine the 
   practice of software engineering through domain-specific languages 

CONFERENCE TOPICS
=================
The technical sessions will include refereed papers, invited talks, 
and Birds-of-a-Feather (BoF) sessions. We seek papers that draw on
experience in a wide variety of areas, including but not limited to 
the following topics. 

       - formal methods 
       - software design and architecture 
       - declarative languages 
       - software engineering 
       - software process 
       - database languages 
       - program analysis and automated transformation 
       - computer architecture 
       - design process and languages 
       - visual languages and environments 
       - hardware specification languages 
       - parallel computing languages 
       - type theory 
       - distributed computing languages 
       - testing 
       - prototyping 

PAPER CRITERIA
==============

Papers will be judged on the depth of their insight and the extent 
to which they translate specific experience into general lessons for
domain-specific language designers, and implementers, and 
software engineers. 

Papers can range from the practical to the theoretical; papers should 
refer to actual languages, tools, and techniques with pointers to full
definitions and implementations where possible. Empirical data on 
results should be included where possible. 

HOW TO SUBMIT A PAPER
=====================

Technical paper submissions must be received by June 13, 1997. Full 
papers are requested and should be 10 to 15 pages (around
5,000-6,000 words). 

All submissions will be judged on originality, relevance, and 
correctness. Each accepted submission will be assigned a member of 
the program committee to shepherd preparation of the final paper. 
The assigned member will act as a conduit for feedback from the 
committee to the authors. Camera-ready final papers are due 
September 2, 1997. 

Each submission must include a cover letter stating the paper title 
and authors along with the name of the person who will act as the 
contact to the program committee. Please include a surface mail 
address, daytime and evening phone number, an email address, and 
fax number for the contact person. 

If you would like to receive detailed guidelines for submission send 
email to ··········@usenix.org.  An electronic version of this
document is available at http://www.usenix.org/dsl.

The DSL conference, like most conferences and journals, requires 
that papers not be submitted simultaneously to another conference 
or publication and that submitted papers not be previously or 
subsequently published elsewhere. Papers accompanied by "non-
disclosure agreement" forms are not acceptable and will be returned 
to the author(s) unread. All submissions are held in the highest 
confidentiality prior to publication in the Proceedings, both as a 
matter of policy and in accord with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. 

Please send one copy of a full paper to the program committee via 
one of the following methods. All submissions will be acknowledged. 

       Preferred Method: email (Postscript) to:  ·········@usenix.org 

       Alternate Method: postal delivery to:

       DSL Conference
       c/o Chris Ramming
       USENIX Association
       2560 Ninth Street, Suite 215
       Berkeley CA 94710
       Phone: 510.528.8649

INVITED TALKS
=============
There will be several invited talks at the conference. If you have 
suggestions for possible speakers, please send them to the speaker 
chair, David Ladd (·····@spyglass.com).

REGISTRATION MATERIALS
======================
Materials containing all details of the technical and tutorial 
programs, registration fees and forms, and hotel information will be 
available beginning in August, 1997. If you wish to receive the 
registration materials, please contact USENIX at: 

USENIX Conference Office 
22672 Lambert Street, Suite 613
Lake Forest, CA USA 92630 
Phone: 714-588-8649; 
Fax: 714-588-9706