Scaling step-wise refinement

ABSTRACT

Step-wise refinement is a powerful paradigm for developing a complex program from a simple program by adding features incrementally. We present the AHEAD (Algebraic Hierarchical Equations for Application Design) model that shows how step-wise refinement scales to synthesize multiple programs and multiple non-code representations. AHEAD shows that software can have an elegant, hierarchical mathematical structure that is expressible as nested sets of equations. We review a tool set that supports AHEAD. As a demonstration of its viability, we have bootstrapped AHEAD tools solely from equational specifications, generating Java and non-Java artifacts automatically, a task that was accomplished only by ad hoc means previously.

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Index Terms

• Software and its engineering

  • Software creation and management

    • Designing software

      • Software implementation planning

        • Software design techniques

    • Software development techniques

    • Software verification and validation

      • Process validation

        • Walkthroughs

  • Software notations and tools

    • General programming languages

      • Language features

  • Software organization and properties

    • Software system structures

      • Software system models

        • State systems