| BRITISH COMPUTER SOCIETY FACS SPECIALIST GROUP |
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Formal Aspects of Computing Science
BCS-FACS Evening Seminar Series
Realising the Benefits of Formal Methods
Dr Anthony Hall
21 June 2006
5.45pmBCS London Offices
First Floor, The Davidson Building
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What do formal methods really offer to software engineers? When should they be used? Who should
use them? Where do they fit into the development process? What benefits - if any - do they really
bring?
There are several quite different ways of answering these questions. I will take a critical look at some of the answers that have been proposed, and in particular ask whether the answers given by the formal methods research community are borne out in practice. I will describe in some detail one particular approach, Correctness by Construction. This is highly successful - and I have the numbers to prove it - but it is deeply unfashionable and almost nobody uses it. I will look at the reasons for its success and try to understand its lack of appeal. Finally I will look at the implications for research and development. Are we researching the right topics? Are we developing the right tools? What are the real grand challenges of formal methods? What is needed to bring them into everyday use? Refreshments will be served from 5.15pm The seminar is free of charge and open to everyone. If you would like to attend, please email Paul Boca your name by 18 June 2006. Pre-registration is required, as security at the BCS Offices is tight. |
| Formal Aspects of Computing Science |
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