Comprehension, the primordial task, has not changed much in 40 years. Whether the comprehension task is global (architectural) or atomic (single statement effect), the approach is the same. We run it. We read it. We grep (search) it. An electronic search on the criteria ?comprehension and tools? yielded no results. Therefore, while there is programmer's workbench, a maintainer's workbench, and a tester's workbench, the comprehender's workbench is evidently barren. While borrowing tools from other engineers gives a toehold, the question still arises: ?What tools belong in a comprehender's workbench, per se?? This workshop session will try to answer this question.
['Keith Gallagher']
Working session: tools for program comprehension: building a comprehender's workbench