CW 340

J. Dockx, M. van Dooren, E. Steegmans
Dijkstra's dream: Internal iterators as software theorems

Abstract

One of the main goals of structured programming is to make it possible for programmers to reason about and prove the correctness of programs. The assertions that describe the algorithm make explicit the complexity of the code. Encapsulation and inheritance remove an important part of that complexity in object-oriented programming. This paper shows that the reduction in complexity we get by replacing iteration structures by internal iterators is so big that it brings us very close to zero-defect software becoming viable. We conclude with some ideas for future change of the course and the curriculum.