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From: reddy@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU
Newsgroups: net.ai
Subject: Re: Re: Program Specification Langu
Message-ID: <32300029@uiucdcs>
Date: Fri, 4-Oct-85 14:03:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.32300029
Posted: Fri Oct  4 14:03:00 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 6-Oct-85 14:58:42 EDT
References: <354@cstvax.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:cstvax.UUCP:-35400:uiucdcs:32300029:000:835
Nf-From: uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU!reddy    Oct  4 13:03:00 1985


/* Written  1:04 pm  Sep 30, 1985 by os@cstvax.UUCP in uiucdcs:net.ai */

"The purpose of a specification is to characterize the correct implementations.
Hence specifications are equivalent iff they admit the same implementations; to
distinguish "terminating" and "nonterminating" specifications does not make
sense (it's like distinguishing specifications written in black and blue).  If
you write a specification with operational concerns in mind (termination or
efficiency), as you have to in languages such as PROLOG, you are
programming."

Oliver Schoett

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

"Termination" in the operational sense equates to "provable" or "deducible"
in the logical sense, or "true in all models" in the model-theoretical
sense.  While which terminology one uses may depend on one's own sense, the
intent should be clear.

Uday Reddy


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