After a couple of months of being absent from my blog, I feel its a good time to start updating again. I also feel this is going to be a bit of a lengthy update. Quite a lot has happened in the last couple of months or so since I last updated.
I have:
-> Submitted papers to the postgrad (including poster) and Haskell Workshop conferences.
-> Ported HaRe to use the GHC type checker.
-> Implemented the splitting definitions refactoring.
-> Completed the add constructor to data type refactoring.
-> Done lots and lots of background reading.
I have just had my panel review today. Basically Olaf and Andy were pleased with the progress I had made since the last review. They said, although I had a slow first year things were really starting to move forward and I was starting to become very involved in the work. However, I need to look into fewer areas in more detail. Instead of chossing lots of refactorings to implement, it would be better to pick a specific one and concentrate on formalising and writting a prrof for it. In particular the program slicer.
Olaf commented that it would be a useful exercise to write up the work I had done on using Programatica and GHC-API. It would be a good idea to put the write up on my home page.
I need to make Huiqing's thesis my Gospel. In particular the section on the her theories of formalising refactorings.
In general I need to start writing up implementation and concentrate on just the program slicing. Working towards a formalisation and a proof. Perhaps neglect the merging stuff.
I also need to aim at getting 2 more publications done. Preferably, submitted before February next year.
I think I did OK, but I am left wondering whether what they said was positive or negative. I also regret my first year. But there is nothing I can do about that now. I am wondering whether I am going to finish within 3 years. I guess the challenge is to aim to do so.