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View all- Cheney JUrban C(2008)Nominal logic programmingACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems10.1145/1387673.138767530:5(1-47)Online publication date: 4-Sep-2008
Generative unbinding of names
Pages 85 - 95
Abstract
This paper is concerned with a programming language construct for typed name binding that enforces αequivalence. It proves a new result about what operations on names can co-exist with this construct. The particular form of typed name binding studied is that used by the FreshML family of languages. Its characteristic feature is that a name binding is represented by an abstract (name,value)-pair that may only be deconstructed via the generation of fresh bound names. In FreshML the only observation one can make of names is to test whether or not they are equal. This restricted amount of observation was thought necessary to ensure that there is no observable difference between αequivalent name binders. Yet from an algorithmic point of view it would be desirable to allow other operations and relations on names, such as a total ordering. This paper shows that, contrary to expectations, one may add not just ordering, but almost any relation or numerical function on names without disturbing the fundamental correctness result about this form of typed name binding (that object-level αequivalence precisely corresponds to contextual equivalence at the programming meta-level), so long as one takes the state of dynamically created names into account.
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Published: 17 January 2007
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View all- Cheney JUrban C(2008)Nominal logic programmingACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems10.1145/1387673.138767530:5(1-47)Online publication date: 4-Sep-2008
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