DARPA Project Using LLVM For Better Code Security

[phoronix]

Phoronix: DARPA Project Using LLVM For Better Code Security

A software research project being funded by the United States' Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) with its Cyber Fast Track program is looking at ways for providing a flexible and integrated security infrastructure by using LLVM for dynamic and static security tasks...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTI0MDc

[frign]

I reckon the Ada-programming-language is even better-suited for security-critical environments.

[gamerk2]

I reckon the Ada-programming-language is even better-suited for security-critical environments.

OK, I'm currently working on a major ADA conversion program on contract, and myself (and most all the other programmers) HATE it with a passion. We need to do so many bloody workarounds to get anything to work, because the language is so strongly typed.

Stupid example: If you subtype an array, you HAVE to have a contiguous range. Which is well and good for the initial design phase, and a pain (at best) come the 5th refactor or so, when its impossible to reorder the original array to make subtyping easy (as the program now assumes a specific order in the primary array).

ADA is unsuitable as a major programming language for reasons such as that: Its so strongly typed, any code change is liable to break the entire underlying program structure. Maybe thats why its been almost totally abandoned outside the DoD.

[frign]

OK, I'm currently working on a major ADA conversion program on contract, and myself (and most all the other programmers) HATE it with a passion. We need to do so many bloody workarounds to get anything to work, because the language is so strongly typed.

Stupid example: If you subtype an array, you HAVE to have a contiguous range. Which is well and good for the initial design phase, and a pain (at best) come the 5th refactor or so, when its impossible to reorder the original array to make subtyping easy (as the program now assumes a specific order in the primary array).

ADA is unsuitable as a major programming language for reasons such as that: Its so strongly typed, any code change is liable to break the entire underlying program structure. Maybe thats why its been almost totally abandoned outside the DoD.

I can definitely understand you, but it is primarily used in very mission-critical environments, where such strong typing is important (like nuclear plants and aeronautics).
It takes more time to get things done, but it has its advantages and disadvantages. Usually, you don't actually need workarounds.