| abstract
| - Interest in formal methods continues to grow; unfortunately myths and misconceptions regarding their benefits and application continue to grow also. Applications of Formal Methods is a collection of articles by internationally renowned contributors from both academia and industry which will dispel many of these myths. Each of these essays illustrates the application of formal methods to realistic problems, each with an industrial relevance, in various application domains, describing how they can be scaled to large-scale problems, and providing an evaluation of methods, tools, and validation and verification techniques. Key features include:
* Foreword by C.A.R. Hoare;
* Describes real-life examples of the application of formal methods, including descriptions of the methods used, and fragments of specifications which can be used in coursework;
* Provides statistical evidence of the benefits of formal methods;
* Discusses techniques for scaling formal methods for use at an industrial scale, and means of overcoming technology transfer problems;
* Emphasizes tool support and the use of validation and verification techniques. Applications of Formal Methods is essential reading for all students of formal methods and system development, as well as project managers considering the introduction of formal methods, and researchers in the field wishing to know more about industrial application and wishing to learn from the experiences of others. The contribution of this book is exceptionally welcome, since it reports on a range of independent experiments in the application of theories on an industrial scale. In spite of diversity in the areas of application and in the formalisms selected, there is an encouraging uniformity in the overall conclusion: if appropriate attention is also paid to commercial, managerial and educational implications, there is a positive benefit to be achieved by increasing the level of formalism at the earliest possible stages of specification and design; and this benefit can be felt, if not measured, on the occasion of first use. There are grounds for optimism that second use may be even more beneficial. That is why I regard the publication of this book as a milestone in the development of the series. It is a confirmation of the soundness of the goals that we have pursued in the past, and a promise of further achievement in the future. Image:Symbols.gif
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