I was fortunate to attend the ISSTA/ECOOP conference in Vienna from September 16-20. One significant takeaway from the event is that many researchers are trying to apply large language models (LLMs) to various problems. This has led to several cases—I'll remain vague—where using an LLM seemed excessive for the task at hand. In some instances, authors chose a GPT model instead of training or fine-tuning a smaller, more appropriate model. These papers often justified their approach by labeling their work as a "proof of concept."
The fuzzing workshop, chaired by my advisor, Marcel, did not disappoint. Most of the work presented consisted of pre-registered projects that are still in progress. However, the two keynote speeches were particularly impressive.
FUZZING'24 Keynote: "Is 'AI' useful for fuzzing?"
by Brendan Dolan-Gavitt
FUZZING'24 Keynote: "Reasons for the Unreasonable Success of Fuzzing"
by Thomas Dullien
Ben Kushigian presented our paper, "Equivalent Mutants in the Wild: Identifying and Efficiently Suppressing Equivalent Mutants for Java Programs." It was great to meet Sam, Ben, and René and engage in various discussions. Ben holds strong views on how our community should select mutation operators for benchmarking, and I wholeheartedly agree with him. In the picture you see our Mutation String Quartet being very color-coordinatred.
During a conference break, I met Andreas Zeller. Upon learning that I am Marcel’s new PhD student, he kindly reminded me that he is my academic grandfather. He was genuinely sweet and welcoming, which made the interaction all the more memorable. This encounter motivated me to explore my academic lineage further. From what I found, on René's side, I am connected to Franz Schweiggert, Gordon Fraser, and Mike Ernst. On Marcel’s side, I have Andreas Zeller and Abhik Roychoudhury.
René’s keynote was a personal highlight. It was inspiring to see how the work I contributed to connects with the broader field of software engineering and how impactful research can endure over time.
I enjoyed some fantastic food in Vienna. Although I’m not a foodie, nearly everything I tried lived up to the hype. My only minor disappointment was with the Sachertorte; two out of the three I had were a bit dry. If that's how they are meant to be, then they just might not be for me.
