Dynamic visualization of concurrent object-oriented systems

Abstract

Although some problems are most naturally solved by using a set of concurrent processes, it is not an easy task to give students a sound understanding of the concepts, models and practice involved in designing concurrent object-oriented software systems. Dynamic visualization can expedite the students' comprehension and understanding of concurrent object-oriented program execution. By being given the ability to explore the various threads of execution and event order of an executing concurrent program, the student can gain an understanding of the threads of control and how they relate to classes, object instantiation, object destruction, and method invocation. When considering the use of visualization for concurrent object-oriented systems, four overlapping guidelines may be contemplated: abstraction, representation, emphasis and navigation.