On Progress in Programming

Abstract

The past twenty years have seen an enormous increase in the influence of proof-of-correctness ideas on our ability to write and present programs and algorithms. It started with R. Floyd’s paper on assigning meanings to programs in 1967 [2] and C.A.R. Hoare’s paper on an axiomatic basis for programming in 1969 [4]. E.W. Dijkstra’s 1976 text [1] provided key ideas on the development of proof and program hand-in-hand, with the proof ideas leading the way. Since then, we have been developing and refining the ideas and practicing them more and more. The transformational development system developed under the direction of F.L. Bauer [0] exhibits further advances in the state of the art.