Dear Edward:

Thank you for your interest in Adaptive Programming. We are 
all for an introduction of Demeter in the MIS community in Beijing.

The Demeter Method is frequently improving ; please get the latest
information from

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/research/demeter/

Best regards,
-- Karl

From chengq@sun41.em.tsinghua.edu.cn Thu Jun 26 03:05:05 1997
Organization: Tsinghua Univ.
To: lieberherr@ccs.neu.edu
Subject: About Software Adaptability

Mr. Karl J. Lieberherr,

How do you do!

First, let me introduce myself. I am a Master candidate of Management
Information System 
Department, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. My major interests are
the development and 
application of information systems, database systems, and network
computing. In October 
1996, I joined a group under the direction of Professor CHEN Guoqing.
our group is focused on  
software adaptability in management information system. 

We believe that modern market environment is always changing and the
enterprise need more 
and more smartness. This situation demands business information systems
should be easily 
adapted to new environment and requirements. In other words, business
information systems 
should have good adaptability. Our aim is to provide methodologies,
techniques and automatic 
tools to support software adaptability. 

We think that the following directions will be helpful.
1. Object-Oriented Methodology: OO method can help analysts and
designers to find 
variability and invariability, then encapulse variabilties. However, OO
method is still 
immature, i.e. prescription diagram and the transition between analysis
and design.
2. Data Abstraction and Layered Design: They are the key ways in design
to encapulse 
variabilities. We hope to provide a smooth transition for them from
design in the large to 
design in the small.
3. Software Architecture: Software architecture may affect adaptability
greatly. An adaptive 
software architecture is helpful for the adaptive design of a software
family.
4. Extended Data Dictionary: An extended data dictionary describes not
only data elements, 
but also system logics and control data. We have used this technique in
some medium 
/small applications. It's an easy and practical ways for some kinds of
variabilities. 
5. Automatic Tools: These tools can save the labour of the analyis,
design, implementation 
and evaluation, and improve the quality.
6. Adaptability Measurement: It can evaluate software adaptability more
objectively and 
accurately.

In order to know relevant research, I have read quite some papers from
international journals. 
Your paper, "Object-Oriented Software Evolution" published in IEEE
TRANSACTIONS ON 
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING Vol. 19 No. 4, called our great attention. We are
glad to know 
your work, for it is comprehensive and in-depth in theory, technique and
tools. We apprecaite 
Demeter Method in the following points.
1. Object-Oriented Methodology;
2. Incremental and Spiral Devolpeent Process;
3. Graphical Decription for Software;
4. High-level Abstraction of Objects;
5. Delayed Binding of Methods;
6. Automatic Tools.

China is undergoing a new wave of IT and the market of MIS is soaring.
In China, a lot kinds of 
methodologies are competing with each other. We believe that Demeter
Method has quite some 
advantages in developing adaptive software. Therefore, we are very
interested in Demeter 
Method and want to introduce this new method to system analysts and
programmers in China. 
We hope to get more information of Demeter Method and keep contact with
you in furture. 

We are looking forward to hearing from you soon. Our Email address is 
'chengq@sun41.em.tsinghua.edu.cn'.

Cheers!

Edward Shan