The Denotational Description Of Programming Languages

Author : M.J.C. Gordon
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 168 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9781461262282

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The Denotational Description of Programming Languages by M.J.C. Gordon Pdf

This book explains how to formally describe programming languages using the techniques of denotational semantics. The presentation is designed primarily for computer science students rather than for (say) mathematicians. No knowledge of the theory of computation is required, but it would help to have some acquaintance with high level programming languages. The selection of material is based on an undergraduate semantics course taught at Edinburgh University for the last few years. Enough descriptive techniques are covered to handle all of ALGOL 50, PASCAL and other similar languages. Denotational semantics combines a powerful and lucid descriptive notation (due mainly to Strachey) with an elegant and rigorous theory (due to Scott). This book provides an introduction to the descriptive techniques without going into the background mathematics at all. In some ways this is very unsatisfactory; reliable reasoning about semantics (e. g. correctness proofs) cannot be done without knowing the underlying model and so learning semantic notation without its model theory could be argued to be pointless. My own feeling is that there is plenty to be gained from acquiring a purely intuitive understanding of semantic concepts together with manipulative competence in the notation. For these equip one with a powerful conceptua1 framework-a framework enabling one to visualize languages and constructs in an elegant and machine-independent way. Perhaps a good analogy is with calculus: for many practical purposes (e. g. engineering calculations) an intuitive understanding of how to differentiate and integrate is all that is needed.

Author : Michael J. C. Gordon
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 1979
Category : Langages de programmation
ISBN : 3540904336

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The Denotational Description of Programming Languages by Michael J. C. Gordon Pdf

Author : Joseph E. Stoy
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 456 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 1985
Category : Computers
ISBN : UOM:39015004500503

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Denotational Semantics by Joseph E. Stoy Pdf

"First book-length exposition of the denotational (or `mathematical' or `functional') approach to the formal semantics of programming languages (in contrast to `operational' and `axiomatic' approaches). Treats various kinds of languages, beginning with the pure-lambda-calculus and progressing through languages with states, commands, jumps, and assignments. This somewhat discursive account is a valuable compilation of results not otherwise available in a single source."-- American Mathematical Monthly

Author : Glynn Winskel
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 388 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 1993-02-05
Category : Computers
ISBN : 0262731037

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The Formal Semantics of Programming Languages by Glynn Winskel Pdf

The Formal Semantics of Programming Languages provides the basic mathematical techniques necessary for those who are beginning a study of the semantics and logics of programming languages. These techniques will allow students to invent, formalize, and justify rules with which to reason about a variety of programming languages. Although the treatment is elementary, several of the topics covered are drawn from recent research, including the vital area of concurency. The book contains many exercises ranging from simple to miniprojects.Starting with basic set theory, structural operational semantics is introduced as a way to define the meaning of programming languages along with associated proof techniques. Denotational and axiomatic semantics are illustrated on a simple language of while-programs, and fall proofs are given of the equivalence of the operational and denotational semantics and soundness and relative completeness of the axiomatic semantics. A proof of Godel's incompleteness theorem, which emphasizes the impossibility of achieving a fully complete axiomatic semantics, is included. It is supported by an appendix providing an introduction to the theory of computability based on while-programs. Following a presentation of domain theory, the semantics and methods of proof for several functional languages are treated. The simplest language is that of recursion equations with both call-by-value and call-by-name evaluation. This work is extended to lan guages with higher and recursive types, including a treatment of the eager and lazy lambda-calculi. Throughout, the relationship between denotational and operational semantics is stressed, and the proofs of the correspondence between the operation and denotational semantics are provided. The treatment of recursive types - one of the more advanced parts of the book - relies on the use of information systems to represent domains. The book concludes with a chapter on parallel programming languages, accompanied by a discussion of methods for specifying and verifying nondeterministic and parallel programs.

Author : Gilles Dowek,Jean-Jacques Lévy
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 96 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2010-12-09
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9780857290762

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Introduction to the Theory of Programming Languages by Gilles Dowek,Jean-Jacques Lévy Pdf

The design and implementation of programming languages, from Fortran and Cobol to Caml and Java, has been one of the key developments in the management of ever more complex computerized systems. Introduction to the Theory of Programming Languages gives the reader the means to discover the tools to think, design, and implement these languages. It proposes a unified vision of the different formalisms that permit definition of a programming language: small steps operational semantics, big steps operational semantics, and denotational semantics, emphasising that all seek to define a relation between three objects: a program, an input value, and an output value. These formalisms are illustrated by presenting the semantics of some typical features of programming languages: functions, recursivity, assignments, records, objects, ... showing that the study of programming languages does not consist of studying languages one after another, but is organized around the features that are present in these various languages. The study of these features leads to the development of evaluators, interpreters and compilers, and also type inference algorithms, for small languages.

Author : Lloyd Allison
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 150 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 1986
Category : Computers
ISBN : 0521314232

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A Practical Introduction to Denotational Semantics by Lloyd Allison Pdf

Basics - Notation - Lattices - A simple language - Direct semantics - Control - Data structures and data types - A prolog semantics - Miscellaneous.

Author : Joseph E.. Stoy
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 414 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 1979
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:256904047

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Denotational Semantics by Joseph E.. Stoy Pdf

Author : Erich Neuhold,Manfred Paul
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 532 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 1991-10-04
Category : Computers
ISBN : 3540539611

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Formal Description of Programming Concepts by Erich Neuhold,Manfred Paul Pdf

In software engineering there is a growing need for formalization as a basis for developing powerful computer assisted methods. This volume contains seven extensive lectures prepared for a series of IFIP seminars on the Formal Description of Programming Concepts. The authors are experts in their fields and have contributed substantially to the state of the art in numerous publications. The lectures cover a wide range in the theoretical foundations of programming and give an up-to-date account of the semantic models and the related tools which have been developed in order to allow a rigorous discussion of the problems met in the construction of correct programs. In particular, methods for the specification and transformation of programs are considered in detail. One lecture is devoted to the formalization of concurrency and distributed systems and reflects their great importance in programming. Further topics are the verification of programs and the use of sophisticated type systems in programming. This compendium on the theoretical foundations of programming is also suitable as a textbook for special seminars on different aspects of this broad subject.

Author : H. Bekic
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 290 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 1984-08
Category : Computers
ISBN : 354013378X

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Programming Languages and Their Definition by H. Bekic Pdf

Author : Bernd Teufel
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 218 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9783709191866

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Organization of Programming Languages by Bernd Teufel Pdf

Beside the computers itself, programming languages are the most important tools of a computer scientist, because they allow the formulation of algorithms in a way that a computer can perform the desired actions. Without the availability of (high level) languages it would simply be impossible to solve complex problems by using computers. Therefore, high level programming languages form a central topic in Computer Science. It should be a must for every student of Computer Science to take a course on the organization and structure of programming languages, since the knowledge about the design of the various programming languages as well as the understanding of certain compilation techniques can support the decision to choose the right language for a particular problem or application. This book is about high level programming languages. It deals with all the major aspects of programming languages (including a lot of examples and exercises). Therefore, the book does not give an detailed introduction to a certain program ming language (for this it is referred to the original language reports), but it explains the most important features of certain programming languages using those pro gramming languages to exemplify the problems. The book was outlined for a one session course on programming languages. It can be used both as a teacher's ref erence as well as a student text book.

Author : Franklyn Turbak,David Gifford,Mark A. Sheldon
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 1347 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2008-07-18
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9780262201759

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Design Concepts in Programming Languages by Franklyn Turbak,David Gifford,Mark A. Sheldon Pdf

1. Introduction 2. Syntax 3. Operational semantics 4. Denotational semantics 5. Fixed points 6. FL: a functional language 7. Naming 8. State 9. Control 10. Data 11. Simple types 12. Polymorphism and higher-order types 13. Type reconstruction 14. Abstract types 15. Modules 16. Effects describe progran behavior 17. Compilation 18. Garbage collection.

Author : Carl A. Gunter
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 450 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 1992
Category : Programming languages (Electronic computers)
ISBN : 0262570955

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Semantics of Programming Languages by Carl A. Gunter Pdf

Semantics of Programming Languages exposes the basic motivations and philosophy underlying the applications of semantic techniques in computer science. It introduces the mathematical theory of programming languages with an emphasis on higher-order functions and type systems. Designed as a text for upper-level and graduate-level students, the mathematically sophisticated approach will also prove useful to professionals who want an easily referenced description of fundamental results and calculi. Basic connections between computational behavior, denotational semantics, and the equational logic of functional programs are thoroughly and rigorously developed. Topics covered include models of types, operational semantics, category theory, domain theory, fixed point (denotational). semantics, full abstraction and other semantic correspondence criteria, types and evaluation, type checking and inference, parametric polymorphism, and subtyping. All topics are treated clearly and in depth, with complete proofs for the major results and numerous exercises.

Author : Peter O'Hearn,Robert Tennent
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 345 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2013-03-14
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9781475738513

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Algol-like Languages by Peter O'Hearn,Robert Tennent Pdf

To construct a compiler for a modern higher-level programming languagel one needs to structure the translation to a machine-like intermediate language in a way that reflects the semantics of the language. little is said about such struc turing in compiler texts that are intended to cover a wide variety of program ming languages. More is said in the Iiterature on semantics-directed compiler construction [1] but here too the viewpoint is very general (though limited to 1 languages with a finite number of syntactic types). On the other handl there is a considerable body of work using the continuation-passing transformation to structure compilers for the specific case of call-by-value languages such as SCHEME and ML [21 3]. ln this paperl we will describe a method of structuring the translation of ALGOL-like languages that is based on the functor-category semantics devel oped by Reynolds [4] and Oles [51 6]. An alternative approach using category theory to structure compilers is the early work of F. L. Morris [7]1 which anticipates our treatment of boolean expressionsl but does not deal with procedures. 2 Types and Syntax An ALGOL-like language is a typed lambda calculus with an unusual repertoire of primitive types. Throughout most of this paper we assume that the primi tive types are comm(and) int(eger)exp(ression) int(eger)acc(eptor) int(eger)var(iable) I and that the set 8 of types is the least set containing these primitive types and closed under the binary operation -.

Author : Cliff B. Jones
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 229 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2020-11-17
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9783030592578

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Understanding Programming Languages by Cliff B. Jones Pdf

This book is about describing the meaning of programming languages. The author teaches the skill of writing semantic descriptions as an efficient way to understand the features of a language. While a compiler or an interpreter offers a form of formal description of a language, it is not something that can be used as a basis for reasoning about that language nor can it serve as a definition of a programming language itself since this must allow a range of implementations. By writing a formal semantics of a language a designer can yield a far shorter description and tease out, analyse and record design choices. Early in the book the author introduces a simple notation, a meta-language, used to record descriptions of the semantics of languages. In a practical approach, he considers dozens of issues that arise in current programming languages and the key techniques that must be mastered in order to write the required formal semantic descriptions. The book concludes with a discussion of the eight key challenges: delimiting a language (concrete representation), delimiting the abstract content of a language, recording semantics (deterministic languages), operational semantics (non-determinism), context dependency, modelling sharing, modelling concurrency, and modelling exits. The content is class-tested and suitable for final-year undergraduate and postgraduate courses. It is also suitable for any designer who wants to understand languages at a deep level. Most chapters offer projects, some of these quite advanced exercises that ask for complete descriptions of languages, and the book is supported throughout with pointers to further reading and resources. As a prerequisite the reader should know at least one imperative high-level language and have some knowledge of discrete mathematics notation for logic and set theory.

Author : Gerard Meurant
Publisher : Elsevier
Page : 1280 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2014-06-28
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9780080933924

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Formal Models and Semantics by Gerard Meurant Pdf

The second part of this Handbook presents a choice of material on the theory of automata and rewriting systems, the foundations of modern programming languages, logics for program specification and verification, and some chapters on the theoretic modelling of advanced information processing.