Subject: Semantics Seminar Schedule
From: wand@ccs.neu.edu
Date: Mon Oct 29 2001 - 13:33:44 EST
NU Programming Languages Seminar
Wednesday, October 31, 2001, 10:30-12:30
306 Egan Hall, Northeastern University
(building 61 on the map at http://www.neu.edu/maps/maps.html)
John Clements
Modeling an Algebraic Stepper
Programmers rely on the correctness of their tools. Semanticists
have long studied the correctness of compilers, but we make the case
that other tools deserve semantic models, too, and that using these
models can help in developing these tools.
We examine these ideas in the context of DrScheme's stepper. The
stepper operates within the existing evaluator, placing breakpoints
and reconstructing source expressions from information placed on the
stack. We must ask whether we can prove the correspondence between
the source expressions emitted by the stepper and the steps in the
formal reduction semantics.
To answer this question, we develop a high-level semantic model of
the extended compiler and run-time machinery. Rather than modeling
the evaluation as a low-level machine, we model the relevant
low-level features of the stepper's implementation in a high-level
reduction semantics. The higher-level model greatly simplifies the
correctness proof. We expect the approach to apply to other
semantics-based tools.
Upcoming presentations:
11/7 Matthew Flatt
11/14 Phillipe Meunier
11/21 no meeting
11/28 Doug Orleans
Most meetings will be 1030-1230 in 306 EG.
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