

Software Maintenance via Genetic Programming - unignorant
http://shape-of-code.coding-guidelines.com/2009/11/software-maintenance-via-genetic-programming/

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praptak
Apply random modifications to the code until the test passes. Some people call
it names like "shotgun programming" or "bad practice". Others call it
"Software Maintenance by Genetic Programming".

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pmichaud
I wonder if this automated bug sniffing could evolve into something that can
actually restructure a program to make its architecture better.

Further, if that's where this is going, maybe we'll be a step closer to "Do
what I mean" programming.

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swernli
To be fair, I think the article (and the original paper) do more than bug
sniffing; the code that fails test cases is being automatically modified to
eliminate the bug.

The "Do what I mean" programming idea is certainly a good one. One of the
pioneers of genetic programming, John Koza, once described the possibility of
using genetic programming as a companion for human innovation. Intead of the
algorithm completely replacing human written code/design components, it could
produce potential solutions to problems posed by an operator which then go
through tweaking or analysis by humans and can be sent back for more
evolution, turning it into a sort of partnership (I can't find the exact
source, but I used it in a project presentation a few years back). Kind of
cool to imagine: pair programming with a computer partner!

