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The rest stays unchanged (concurrency and state-based specification)

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Formal Aspects of Computing

Abstract

Pre-/postconditions have been extensively used in program specification, e.g. Z [Spi89], VDM [Jon86], and proof, e.g. Hoare logic, Dijkstra's guarded commands [DiF88]. In [ScP86, SPB90] the authors introduced neutral and central relations to formalise the concept of “the rest stays the same”. In this paper we abstract away from the specific definition of neutral relation given in [SPB90], through the mechanism of relational boolean algebras. This leads to the definition of implicitly central relations which are easier for the user in practical examples and facilitate the use of pre-/postcondition reasoning about truly concurrent behaviour.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematical and Computing Sciences, University of Surrey, GU8 4UG, Guildford, UK

    David Pitt

  2. Reference Information Systems, Ash Vale, Surrey, UK

    Paddy Byers

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  1. David Pitt
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  2. Paddy Byers
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Pitt, D., Byers, P. The rest stays unchanged (concurrency and state-based specification). Formal Aspects of Computing 6, 471–494 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01211864

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01211864

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