Forward with Hoare

Hoare’s celebrated paper entitled “An Axiomatic Basis for Computer Programming” appeared in 1969, so the Hoare formula P{S}Q is now 40 years old! That paper introduced Hoare Logic, which is still the basis for program verification today, but is now mechanised inside sophisticated verification system...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inReflections on the Work of C.A.R. Hoare pp. 101 - 121
Main Authors Gordon, Mike, Collavizza, Hélène
Format Book Chapter
LanguageEnglish
Published London Springer London 21.07.2010
Subjects
Hoare Logic
Hoare Triples
Predicate Transformers
Strongest Postcondition
Symbolic Execution
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ISBN1848829116
9781848829114
DOI10.1007/978-1-84882-912-1_5

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Summary:Hoare’s celebrated paper entitled “An Axiomatic Basis for Computer Programming” appeared in 1969, so the Hoare formula P{S}Q is now 40 years old! That paper introduced Hoare Logic, which is still the basis for program verification today, but is now mechanised inside sophisticated verification systems. We aim here to give an accessible introduction to methods for proving Hoare formulae based both on the forward computation of postconditions and on the backward computation of preconditions. Although precondition methods are better known, computing postconditions provides a verification framework that encompasses methods ranging from symbolic execution to full deductive proof of correctness.
ISBN:1848829116
9781848829114
DOI:10.1007/978-1-84882-912-1_5