The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Specification issues and verification in a Pascal-like language

Specification issues and verification in a Pascal-like language
Specification issues and verification in a Pascal-like language

The effectiveness of very complex, expensive and highlysensitive computer applications depends largely on the correctness of the softwarein use.

We have tried in this thesis to emphasise the role of thespecifications as a first step in the design of the verifiable softwareproducts. Two techniques for writing formal specifications are described. Oneof them constructs an abstract state-machine, and the other defines an algebra bymeans of axioms. Extending an implementation language to accommodate specificationshas also proven to be very useful to the verification process, giving birth tolanguages such as Gypsy and Euclid, both based on Pascal.

A sub-set of Pascal, called Pascal-Minus, was chosen, and atranslator from it into the Functional Description Language (FDL) of the Departmentwas developed, to check the conformity of the programs written in Pascal-Minusin relation to their specification in the form of Boolean expressions, usingthe existing facilities in the Department.

An example is given to illustrate the use and thecapabilities of the system which can be extended to incorporate other controland specification constructs, thus increasing its power of expression.

University of Southampton
Sayi, Hayri
6a99f6da-1b05-4925-a156-54ebebf2c875
Sayi, Hayri
6a99f6da-1b05-4925-a156-54ebebf2c875
Carré, Bernard A.
238b2fbb-26b6-44fb-9925-3bbd88d9c858

Sayi, Hayri (1982) Specification issues and verification in a Pascal-like language. University of Southampton, Masters Thesis, 105pp.

Record type: Thesis (Masters)

Abstract

The effectiveness of very complex, expensive and highlysensitive computer applications depends largely on the correctness of the softwarein use.

We have tried in this thesis to emphasise the role of thespecifications as a first step in the design of the verifiable softwareproducts. Two techniques for writing formal specifications are described. Oneof them constructs an abstract state-machine, and the other defines an algebra bymeans of axioms. Extending an implementation language to accommodate specificationshas also proven to be very useful to the verification process, giving birth tolanguages such as Gypsy and Euclid, both based on Pascal.

A sub-set of Pascal, called Pascal-Minus, was chosen, and atranslator from it into the Functional Description Language (FDL) of the Departmentwas developed, to check the conformity of the programs written in Pascal-Minusin relation to their specification in the form of Boolean expressions, usingthe existing facilities in the Department.

An example is given to illustrate the use and thecapabilities of the system which can be extended to incorporate other controland specification constructs, thus increasing its power of expression.

Text
Sayi 1982 Thesis - Version of Record
Available under License University of Southampton Thesis Licence.
Download (7MB)

More information

Published date: 1982

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 460411
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/460411
PURE UUID: ce0baf7d-a413-41f2-85e3-610989f957fe

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 18:21
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 18:38

Export record

Contributors

Author: Hayri Sayi
Thesis advisor: Bernard A. Carré

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×