On the provision of backward error recovery in production programming languages

Abstract

The problem of providing backward error recovery in production programming languages is examined. By 'production' is meant programming languages with sufficient expressive power that they can be used for substantial applications. (Ada is an example of a production programming language.) This examination reveals several new problems that have not been addressed previously. The authors show the relative immaturity of the backward error recovery approach in relation to languages of which Ada is but one example. They also show that the source of the problems is the continuous need to be able to define a recovery line so as to be able to perform state restoration. Many language constructs that have not been addressed by other researchers, such as shared objects, process creation and destruction, and pointers, make the establishment of a recovery line extremely difficult.<>