Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:28:34 +0200 (CEST)
From: Bas Basten
To: sen1-list
Subject: SEN1 Meeting next Thursday, Jan van Eijck and Randy Fluit

Dear all,

At the next SEN1 Meeting this Thursday we will have two speakers: Jan van Eijck and Randy Fluit.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Talk 1:

Purely Functional Algorithm Specification

Jan van Eijck 

An algorithm is an effective method expressed as a list of
instructions describing a computation for calculating a result.
Algorithms have to be written in human readable form, either using
pseudocode (natural language looking like executable code), a high
level specification language like Dijkstra's Guarded Command Language,
or an executable formal specification formalism such as Z.

We will give an easy purely functional implementation of the Guarded
Command Language, and demonstrate how this can be used for specifying
(executable) algorithms, and for automated testing of Hoare
correctness statements about these algorithms. The small extension of
Haskell that we will present and discuss can be viewed as a domain
specific language for algorithm specification and testing.

Inspiration for this was the recent talk by Leslie Lamport on
executable algorithm specification languages, plus Edsger W. Dijkstra,
"EWD472: Guarded commands, non-determinacy and formal derivation of
programs." Instead of formal program derivation, we demonstrate test
automation of Hoare style assertions.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

As usual, we start at 10am in room L016. Hope to see you all there.

Cheers,
Bas