Proceedings of the Eighth International Workshop on Dynamic Analysis

Abstract

Dynamic-analysis techniques are increasingly used to complement more traditional static analysis. Approaches based on static analysis operate on a static representation of the program, consider all possible (and some infeasible) behaviors, and are thus complete, but often imprecise. Dynamic-analysis techniques, conversely, reason over a set of program executions and analyze only observed behaviors. Dynamic analysis includes both offline techniques, which operate on some captured representation of the system's behavior (e.g., a trace), and run-time techniques, which analyze the system's behavior on the fly, while the system is executing. Although inherently incomplete, dynamic analyses can be more precise than their static counterparts and show promise in aiding the understanding, development, and maintenance of robust and reliable large-scale systems. Moreover, the data they provide enable statistical inferences to be made about program behavior. In recent years, both practitioners and researchers are realizing that the limitations of static analysis can be overcome by integrating static and dynamic analysis, and that the performance of dynamic analyses can in turn be improved by leveraging static analysis. The overall goal of WODA 2010 is to bring together researchers and practitioners working in all areas of dynamic analysis to discuss new issues, share results and ongoing work, and foster collaborations.