Behavioural Specifications,
Abstract
For historic reasons, programming (and its theory, as well as methodology) evolved from the computing paradigm. Many computer applications in common use do not fit this paradigm well. Neither an operating system, nor a word processor compute anything, even if their operation involves many computations. Here we follow another paradigm, viz. that of system behaviour, in which finite actions are undertaken and accepted in specific circumstances. In this approach there is no notion of action sequencing, therefore we avoid all problems of synchronization and global time. Instead, we recognize that action executions are not instantaneous and-therefore the circumstances under which a particular action was deemed desirable may have changed during an execution to ones under which its outcome is no more needed. (Establishing a telephone connection in a modern network is an action which certainly takes some time during which the caller may decide to hang up; should this be the case, the laboriously established connection may safely be dissolved).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 14, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA360186
Entities
People
- Wladyslaw M. Turski
Organizations
- University of Warsaw