4 research outputs found
Three Inadequate Models
The connection between operational and denotational semantics is of longstanding
interest in the study of programming languages. One naturally seeks positive results.
For example in [FP94, Sim99] adequacy results are given for models in a variety of
categories. Again, the failure of full abstraction in the standard models constructed
using complete partial orders and continuous functions [Plo77, Mil77] prompted the
exploration of other categories (see, e.g., [BCL85, FJM96, AM98, AC98]) with varying
degrees of success.
In this paper we interest ourselves in counterexamples in order to make a case that
these natural avenues of research had a degree of necessity. To this end, we construct
inadequate models and investigate whether one can do better than the standard
model, but still stay in the category of complete partial orders. (In contrast, an
inadequate standard model of PCF is given in [Sim99]—but in a specially constructed
category.