Ebook: Constructing Correct Software: The Basics

Constructing Correct Software - The Basics illustrates and explains the constructive approach to software development. This approach involves calculating an answer from the initial statement of requirements or specification, rather than "guessing" an answer and then testing whether it actually works. It uses the same basic theory as traditional techniques, but is much quicker and easier as no "wrong answers" are obtained, and therefore no incorrect work needs to be discarded. John Cooke has based this book on material which has been used to teach the topic extensively at Loughborough University. It has been carefully written to be accessible to anyone with an appropriate basic background knowledge of formal methods. It is intended for 3rd/4th year undergraduate and postgraduate students on formal methods and software engineering courses, and software developers in industry who need a more pragmatic, yet fully formal, approach to software development.

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Constructing Correct Software - The Basics illustrates and explains the constructive approach to software development. This approach involves calculating an answer from the initial statement of requirements or specification, rather than "guessing" an answer and then testing whether it actually works. It uses the same basic theory as traditional techniques, but is much quicker and easier as no "wrong answers" are obtained, and therefore no incorrect work needs to be discarded. John Cooke has based this book on material which has been used to teach the topic extensively at Loughborough University. It has been carefully written to be accessible to anyone with an appropriate basic background knowledge of formal methods. It is intended for 3rd/4th year undergraduate and postgraduate students on formal methods and software engineering courses, and software developers in industry who need a more pragmatic, yet fully formal, approach to software development.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-XIII
Introduction....Pages 1-27
The Specification of Functions I....Pages 28-46
The Specification of Functions II....Pages 47-75
Transformations I....Pages 76-88
Transformations II....Pages 89-148
Algorithm Extraction....Pages 149-215
Specifications Revisited (Quantifications etc.)....Pages 216-245
Refinement....Pages 246-266
Sorting....Pages 267-332
Two Further Examples....Pages 333-355
The Broader Picture....Pages 356-371
Back Matter....Pages 372-395

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Constructing Correct Software - The Basics illustrates and explains the constructive approach to software development. This approach involves calculating an answer from the initial statement of requirements or specification, rather than "guessing" an answer and then testing whether it actually works. It uses the same basic theory as traditional techniques, but is much quicker and easier as no "wrong answers" are obtained, and therefore no incorrect work needs to be discarded. John Cooke has based this book on material which has been used to teach the topic extensively at Loughborough University. It has been carefully written to be accessible to anyone with an appropriate basic background knowledge of formal methods. It is intended for 3rd/4th year undergraduate and postgraduate students on formal methods and software engineering courses, and software developers in industry who need a more pragmatic, yet fully formal, approach to software development.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-XIII
Introduction....Pages 1-27
The Specification of Functions I....Pages 28-46
The Specification of Functions II....Pages 47-75
Transformations I....Pages 76-88
Transformations II....Pages 89-148
Algorithm Extraction....Pages 149-215
Specifications Revisited (Quantifications etc.)....Pages 216-245
Refinement....Pages 246-266
Sorting....Pages 267-332
Two Further Examples....Pages 333-355
The Broader Picture....Pages 356-371
Back Matter....Pages 372-395
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