Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site rlvd.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!mcvax!ukc!warwick!rlvd!asw From: asw@rlvd.UUCP (Antony Williams) Newsgroups: net.lang.c Subject: Re: "break" statements (Really Re computer science) Message-ID: <918@rlvd.UUCP> Date: Thu, 7-Nov-85 13:35:06 EST Article-I.D.: rlvd.918 Posted: Thu Nov 7 13:35:06 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 9-Nov-85 05:42:44 EST References: <678@ucsfcgl.UUCP> <2600026@ccvaxa> <2746@brl-tgr.ARPA> <402@graffiti.UUCP> Reply-To: asw@rlvd.UUCP (Antony Williams) Organization: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Atlas Buildings, U.K. Lines: 27 Xpath: warwick ubu In article <402@graffiti.UUCP> peter@graffiti.UUCP (Peter da Silva) writes: >Generally because it's not practical to prove code correct in large >scale applications. I think what you really mean is that it is not YET practical to prove large scale applications wholly correct. It is certainly practical to prove correctness for smallish modules, and this is extremely beneficial: it means that you should look elsewhere for the bug, even if the symptom occurs in the verified module. The total program remains unproved, as the verification relies on the assumption that the module has not been interfered with by some other part of the program. The ubiquity of this phenomenon in C programs does not imply that formal verification has no benefit. > In fact it's hard to apply many computer science ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >techniques in large scale applications. This is extremely unfortunate, ^^^^^^^^^^ I tend to think of things like searching techniques as computer science techniques because one expects computer science graduates to have learned about them. You must have a different idea, or else I feel sorry for those who use/support/pay for your code :-) -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tony Williams |Informatics Division UK JANET: asw@uk.ac.rl.vd |Rutherford Appleton Lab Usenet: {... | mcvax}!ukc!rlvd!asw |Chilton, Didcot ARPAnet: asw%rl.vd@ucl-cs.arpa |Oxon OX11 0QX, UK