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Detecting global variables in denotational specifications

Editor: Susan L. Graham Author:

David A. SchmidtAuthors Info & Claims

ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems (TOPLAS), Volume 7, Issue 2

Pages 299 - 310

https://doi.org/10.1145/3318.3323

Published: 01 April 1985 Publication History

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Abstract

Sufficient criteria are given for replacing all occurrences of the store argument in a Scott-Strachey denotational definition of a programming language by a single global variable. The criteria and transformation are useful for transforming denotational definitions into compilers and interpreters for imperative machines, for optimizing applicative programs, and for judging the suitability of semantic notations for describing imperative languages. An example transformation of a semantics of a repeat-loop language to one which uses a global store variable is given to illustrate the technique.

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Reviews

Reviewer: John D. McLean

Denotational semantics has well-documented advantages over operational semantics and axiomatic semantics [1]. This paper helps overcome a traditional disadvantage of denotational semantics, that it provides little help for writing a language processor. A denotational semantics for a programming language maps syntactic constructs onto mathematical entities, which in turn can be defined using semantic algebras. These algebras can then be treated as rewrite rules and used to generate a language processor if the store argument can be treated as a single global variable. Schmidt gives sufficient criteria for this to be the case. The paper is clearly written and of value in making denotational semantics more practical. Yet, I wonder if time might be better spent pursuing other semantic approaches that more easily support processor development, using denotational semantics as a foundational underpinning.

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cover image ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems

ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems Volume 7, Issue 2

Lecture notes in computer science Vol. 174

April 1985

175 pages

ISSN:0164-0925

EISSN:1558-4593

DOI:10.1145/3318

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 April 1985

Published in TOPLAS Volume 7, Issue 2

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