On preventing programming languages from interfering with programming
William Marshall McKeeman · IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering · 1975
Wirth (1971) has proposed a method of `stepwise refinement' for writing computer programs. This paper proposes that the steps be expressed as proofs. A program for the eight queens problem is developed, and the proof method is applied across two of the steps of the development. The strengths and weaknesses of the method, and its implications for the programming process and programming language design are discussed.