Article View: comp.specification.z
Article #44Z and concurrent systems
From: "Julian Rose"
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 11:36
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 11:36
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1466 bytes
In her request, Maria Brielmann asks about a dialect of Z to write concurrent specifications. I think she may be referring to the Schumann-Pitt dialect of Z. A number of following articles have mentioned the use of CSP(-like) languages to complement a Z specification. Can I suggest Matthew Hennessy's book, Algebraic theory of processes, for the academic reader. It sets out the algebraic theory of processes (surprisingly enough) where algebraic structures, not entirely unlike Z, are described. This may strengthen the idea that traces can be described in Z, as Brendan Mahony suggested. For my own penny's worth, no-one seems to have highlighted the different levels of abstraction between Z and CSP(-like languages). Z is about 'whats' and CSP is (mostly?) about 'hows' and there is a difference. I think Jim Davies hinted this when he said "...using CSP to specify the patterns of communication between system components, and then Z to specify the computational aspects of the components themselves", although personally I'd do it the other way around. Julian
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From: Julian.Rose@bristol.ac.uk ("Julian Rose")
Newsgroups: comp.specification.z
Subject: Z and concurrent systems
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Date: 13 Aug 92 11:36:20 GMT
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