Foundations of object-based specification design [electronic resource] /

by Fleming, David M.

Foundations of Object-Based Specification Design By David March Fleming, B.S., M.S. To enhance applicability and encourage its use, a component or a componentbased system must have a well-designed set of interface features as well as a proper explanation of these features. The dual problem of designing a suitable set of interface features in addition to properly explaining its behavior is termed the specification design problem. This dissertation identifies observability, controllability, and a performancemotivated pragmatic criterion as essential properties of desirable formal specifications for reusable object-based software components. The pragmatic criterion guides the design of component interfaces and component libraries to a suitable set of features so that they are widely applicable, both in terms of functionality and performance, yet minimal in size, whereas observability and controllability considerations lead to most suitable formal explanations of the interfaces. This dissertation formally defines the principles of observability and controllability for object-based software specifications, including those with relational behavior. These principles, in addition to the minimality and performance considerations embodied in the pragmatic criterion, lead to the unique collection of concepts in the