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From: rohrs@handel.helios.nd.edu (533)
Newsgroups: comp.specification
Subject: formal system specification surveys
Keywords: formal specification language, survey, taxonomy
Message-ID: <1990Dec17.190909.10829@news.nd.edu>
Date: 17 Dec 90 19:09:09 GMT
Sender: jon (jon@trc.tellabs.com)
Organization: University of Notre Dame,  Notre Dame
Lines: 30

I am in the early stages of a literature survey on the topic of formal 
specification of (software) systems. I'm looking for any suggestions, leads
or pointers to survey papers or taxonomies published in the area.

I'm also interested in any tutorials, texts, papers, etc. on particular 
specification "languages" including, but not limited to: SDL, Z, PSL/PSA,
SADT, RSL, Anna, IORL, Gypsy, OBJ, and Estelle.

Any commentary w.r.t any of the above (or any other specification language or
specification system) is welcome. Especially interesting topics inlucde: 
availability/lack of software tools to support users, ease-of-use, 
applicability (what kinds of systems can be described by the particular 
language), "public-domainness", good or bad experiences (using a particular 
language for particular type of development effort), applicability to 
demonstrating proof-of-correctness of an implementation, and any other 
relevant info.

If you think the information is already common knowledge in this group,
then I'd appreciate an e-mail response. Otherwise, if you think it is of
general interest, then by all means please post. If there is any interest, 
I'll post a summary of the results.

Thanx much!!

--jon

P.S. Please note the e-mail addresses below.

jon@trc.tellabs.com
jon@ndsun.ee.nd.edu