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First-order identities as a defining language

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Summary

Inverting the adage that a data type is just a simple programming language, we take the position that a programming language is, semantically, just a complex data type; evaluation of a program is just another operation in the data type. The algebraic approach to data types may then be applied. We make a distinction between specification and modelling, and we emphasize the use of first-order identities as a specification language rather than as a tool for model-building. Denotational and operational semantics are discussed. Techniques are introduced for proving the equivalence of specifications. Reynolds' lambda-calculus interpreter is analyzed as an example.

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  1. Computer Science Department, Indiana University, 47405, Bloomington, Indiana, USA

    Mitchell Wand

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  1. Mitchell Wand
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Wand, M. First-order identities as a defining language. Acta Informatica 14, 337–357 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00286491

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00286491

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