Language Oriented Programming

This paper describes the concept of language oriented programming which is a novel way of organising the development of a large software system, leading to a different structure for the finished product. The approach starts by developing a formally specified, domain-oriented, very high-level language which is designed to be well-suited to developing "this kind of program". The development process then splits into two independent stages: (1) Implement the system using this "middle level" language, and (2) Implement a compiler or translator or interpreter for the language, using existing technology. The approach is claimed to have advantages for domain analysis, rapid prototyping, maintenance, portability, user-enhanceable systems, reuse of development work, while also providing high development productivity. We give an example where the method has been used very successfully (in conjunction with rapid prototyping) in the development of a large software system: the FermaT reverse enginee...