Virtual Separation of Concerns - A Second Chance for Preprocessors
By: Sven Apel, Christian Kästner
Abstract
Although, preprocessors are frequently used in practice, they are often criticized for their negative effect on code quality and maintainability. In contrast to modularized implementations, for example using components or aspects, preprocessors neglect separation of concerns, are prone to introduce subtle errors, can entirely obfuscate the source code, and limit reuse. Our aim is to rehabilitate the preprocessor by showing how simple tool support can address these problems and emulate some benefits of modularized implementations.
Cite as:
Sven Apel, Christian Kästner, “Virtual Separation of Concerns - A Second Chance for Preprocessors”, Journal of Object Technology, Volume 8, no. 6 (September 2009), pp. 59-78, doi:10.5381/jot.2009.8.6.c5.
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