Toward program representation and program understanding using process algebras
Kostas Kontogiannis · Conference of the Centre for Advanced Studies on Collaborative Research · 1992
In this paper, we investigate the use of process algebras for program representation and program understanding. Process algebras can be used not only to represent process behaviour, but also to reason about, it by defining equivalence and partial order relations. In our approach, the programming language constructs are denoted as communicating agents, and the program semantics are given in a compositional way in terms of the semantics of the program's subcomponents. Semantic equivalences between code fragments and process algebra descriptions of standard programming plans can he derived in this formalism. This paper illustrates these ideas and identifies relevant. research issues.