Compframe 2005

Atlanta, GA, June 22-23, 2005

On the Role of Self-Similarity in Component-Based Software.
Rob Armstrong, Benjamin A. Allan, David E. Bernholdt and Wael Elwasif.
Abstract
This is a speculative work meant to stimulate discussion about the role of subsumability in selfsimilar software structures for computational simulations. As in natural phenomena, self-similar features in framework structures allow the size and complexity of code to grow without bound and still maintain apparent coherence. As in crystal growth, the coherence may be maintained by the application of a repeated pattern, or patterns may, as in fluid mechanical turbulence, be scaled by size and nested. Examples of these kinds of patterns applied to component systems in particular will be given. Conclusions and questions for discussion will be drawn regarding the applicability of these ideas to component architectures, complexity, and scientific computing.
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