Skip to main content

Full Abstraction for the Second-Order Subset of an Algol-like Language

  • Chapter
Algol-like Languages

Part of the book series: Progress in Theoretical Computer Science ((PTCS))

  • 125 Accesses

Abstract

We present a denotational semantics for an Algol-like language, Alg, which is fully abstract for the second-order subset. This constitutes the first significant full-abstraction result for a block-structured language with local variables. As all the published ‘test equivalences’ [MS88, Len93, 0T95] for Algol-like languages are contained in the second-order subset, they can all be validated (easily) in our denotational model.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Arthur F. Lent. The category of functors from state shapes to bottomless epos is adequate for block structure. In Proc. ACM SIGPLAN Workshop on State in Programming Languages, Copenhagen, Denmark, pages 101–119, Technical report YALEU/DCS/RR-968, Department of Computer Science, Yale University, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ralph Loader. The undecidability of A-definability. Mathematical Institute, Oxford University, June 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Albert R. Meyer and Kurt Sieber. Towards fully abstract semantics for local variables: Preliminary report. In Proc. 15th Annual ACM Symp. on Principles of Programming Languages,San Diego, pages 191–203, ACM, 1988. See Chapter 7.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Peter W. O’Hearn and Robert D. Tennent. Parametricity and local variables. Journal of the ACM,42(3):658–709, 1995. See Chapter 16.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Gordon D. Plotkin. LCF considered as a programming language. Theoretical Computer Science, 5: 223–256, 1977.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  6. Andrew M. Pitts and Ian D. B. Stark. Observable properties of higher order functions that dynamically create local names, or: What’s new? In Andrzej M. Borzyszkowski and Stefan Sokolowski, editors, Proc. 18th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science,Lecture Notes in Computer Science, volume 711, pages 122–141, Springer, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  7. John C. Reynolds. The essence of ALGOL. In J. deBakker and van Vliet, editors, Int’1. Symp. Algorithmic Languages, pages 345–372. North-Holland, 1981. See Chapter 3.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Kurt Sieber. Reasoning about sequential functions via logical relations. In M. P. Fourman, P. T. Johnstone, and A. M. Pitts, editors, Applications of Categories in Computer Science, London Mathematical Society Lecture Note Series 177, pages 258–269. Cambridge University Press, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kurt Sieber. Full abstraction for the second order subset of an ALGoL-like language. Theoretical Computer Science, 1996. To appear.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Stephen Weeks and Matthias Felleisen. On the orthogonality of assignments and procedures in ALGOL In Proc. 20th Annual ACM Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages,Charleston, pages 57–70, ACM, 1993. See Chapter 5.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Sieber, K. (1997). Full Abstraction for the Second-Order Subset of an Algol-like Language. In: O’Hearn, P.W., Tennent, R.D. (eds) Algol-like Languages. Progress in Theoretical Computer Science. Birkhäuser, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3851-3_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3851-3_5

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-3853-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-3851-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics