Cascade: A Universal Programmer-Assisted Type Qualifier Inference Tool

Abstract

Type qualifier inference tools usually operate in batch mode and assume that the program must not be changed except to add the type qualifiers. In practice, programs must be changed to make them type-correct, and programmers must understand them. Cascade is an interactive type qualifier inference tool that is easy to implement and universal (i.e., it can work for any type qualifier system for which a checker is implemented). It shows that qualifier inference can achieve better results by involving programmers rather than relying solely on automation.