On the Correctness of Pull-Tabbing

Pull-tabbing is an evaluation approach for functional logic computations, based on a graph transformation recently proposed, which avoids making irrevocable non-deterministic choices that would jeopardize the completeness of computations. In contrast to other approaches with this property, it does not require an upfront cloning of a possibly large portion of the choice's context. We formally define the pull-tab transformation, characterize the class of programs for which the transformation is intended, extend the computations in these programs to include the transformation, and prove the correctness of the extended computations

Abstract State Machines 1988-1998: Commented ASM Bibliography

An annotated bibliography of papers which deal with or use Abstract State Machines (ASMs), as of January 1998.Comment: Also maintained as a BibTeX file at http://www.eecs.umich.edu/gasm

Nondeterminism in algebraic specifications and algebraic programs

"Nondeterminism in Algebraic Specifications and Algebraic Programs" presents a mathematical theory for the integration of three concepts: non-determinism, axiomatic specification and term rewriting. For non-deterministic programs, an algebraic specification language is provided which admits the application of automated tools based on term rewriting techniques. This general framework is used to explore connections between logic programming and algebraic programming. Examples from various areas of computer science are given, including results of computer experiments with a prototypical implementation. This book should be of interest to readers working within several fields of theoretical computer science, from algebraic specification theory to formal descriptions of distributed systems

Logic programming in the context of multiparadigm programming: the Oz experience

Oz is a multiparadigm language that supports logic programming as one of its major paradigms. A multiparadigm language is designed to support different programming paradigms (logic, functional, constraint, object-oriented, sequential, concurrent, etc.) with equal ease. This article has two goals: to give a tutorial of logic programming in Oz and to show how logic programming fits naturally into the wider context of multiparadigm programming. Our experience shows that there are two classes of problems, which we call algorithmic and search problems, for which logic programming can help formulate practical solutions. Algorithmic problems have known efficient algorithms. Search problems do not have known efficient algorithms but can be solved with search. The Oz support for logic programming targets these two problem classes specifically, using the concepts needed for each. This is in contrast to the Prolog approach, which targets both classes with one set of concepts, which results in less than optimal support for each class. To explain the essential difference between algorithmic and search programs, we define the Oz execution model. This model subsumes both concurrent logic programming (committed-choice-style) and search-based logic programming (Prolog-style). Instead of Horn clause syntax, Oz has a simple, fully compositional, higher-order syntax that accommodates the abilities of the language. We conclude with lessons learned from this work, a brief history of Oz, and many entry points into the Oz literature.Comment: 48 pages, to appear in the journal "Theory and Practice of Logic Programming

Testing by Dualization

Software engineering requires rigorous testing to guarantee the product's quality. Semantic testing of functional correctness is challenged by nondeterminism in behavior, which makes testers difficult to write and reason about. This thesis presents a language-based technique for testing interactive systems. I propose a theory for specifying and validating nondeterministic behaviors, with guaranteed soundness and correctness. I then apply the theory to testing practices, and show how to derive specifications into interactive tester programs. I also introduce a language design for producing test inputs that can effectively detect and reproduce invalid behaviors. I evaluate the methodology by specifying and testing real-world systems such as web servers and file synchronizers, demonstrating the derived testers' ability to find disagreements between the specification and the implementation

PrologPF: Parallel Logic and Functions on the Delphi Machine

PrologPF is a parallelising compiler targeting a distributed system of general purpose workstations connected by a relatively low performance network. The source language extends standard Prolog with the integration of higher-order functions. The execution of a compiled PrologPF program proceeds in a similar manner to standard Prolog, but uses oracles in one of two modes. An oracle represents the sequence of clauses used to reach a given point in the problem search tree, and the same PrologPF executable can be used to build oracles, or follow oracles previously generated. The parallelisation strategy used by PrologPF proceeds in two phases, which this research shows can be interleaved. An initial phase searches the problem tree to a limited depth, recording the discovered incomplete paths. In the second phase these paths are allocated to the available processors in the network. Each processor follows its assigned paths and fully searches the referenced subtree, sending solutions back to a control processor. This research investigates the use of the technique with a one-time partitioning of the problem and no further scheduling communication, and with the recursive application of the partitioning technique to effect dynamic work reassignment. For a problem requiring all solutions to be found, execution completes when all the distributed processors have completed the search of their assigned subtrees. If one solution is required, the execution of all the path processors is terminated when the control processor receives the first solution. The presence of the extra-logical Prolog predicate cut in the user program conflicts with the use of oracles to represent valid open subtrees. PrologPF promotes the use of higher-order functional programming as an alternative to the use of cut. The combined language shows that functional support can be added as a consistent extension to standard Prolog