Subject: CFP: JICSLP'98 Workshop 'Challenges for Executable Temporal Logics'
From: Don Smith <dsmith@cs.waikato.ac.nz>
To: elsnet-list@cogsci.ed.ac.uk
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 09:26:18 +1300 (NZDT)

                 Challenges for Executable Temporal Logics

                       A workshop in association with
                                 JICSLP'98
    (Joint International Conference and Symposium on Logic Programming)
                               Manchester, UK

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     Workshop date: Saturday, June 20, 1998 
     Submission deadline: Monday, May 11, 1998
     Email address: challenges@cs.waikato.ac.nz

     Workshop web site:   http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~dsmith/CHALLENGES/
     Conference Web site: http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~kung-kiu/jicslp98.html

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The Challenge for Executable Temporal Logics

Time is implicit in most operational models of computation and, as a
consequence, in most programming languages. This is so not only for
conventional imperative languages (based on one or more sequential von
Neumann processors), but also for object-oriented languages (based on agents
communicating by message passing) and for most research-oriented declarative
languages (based on potentially concurrent rewriting, resolution, or
function application). Moreover, denotational semantics typically abstracts
away from time entirely: semantic models for computer languages are usually
based on timeless, abstract mathematical constructs.

Yet programming very often implies dealing with temporal properties,
especially when the application involves reactivity. Such common programming
idioms as I/O, destructive assignment, synchronization, resource
consumption, responsiveness, sequential composition, and parallel
composition all require implicit reference to time. It seems intuitively
compelling, therefore, that a programming language that made time explicit
would be more declarative and more precise about exactly what is being
specified.

Despite the intuitive plausibility of temporal logic as a foundation for
programming semantics, programming based on temporal logic has been slow to
move out of the research labs. (It has had more success as a tool for the
analysis and verification of programs.) One reason for the lack of
acceptance of executable temporal logics may be that it is important not to
over-specify temporal properties of programs: for many programming tasks,
perhaps time is better left implicit!

The aim of this workshop is increase our shared understanding of the
possibilities, and limitations, of executable temporal logics. What can
executable temporal logics offer in the way increased clarity, reliability,
expressiveness, efficiency or correctness? When is it appropriate
(inappropriate) to use executable temporal logics?

Answering these questions will require discussion not only of the
computational/theoretical foundations of executable temporal logics but also
of proposed language features, and of concrete applications.

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Workshop topics:

   * design of executable temporal logics
   * benefits of logic programming (versus other formalisms) as a foundation
     for temporal programming
   * temporal deductive databases
   * relation with other models of (concurrent) computation: e.g., CLP, ccp,
     Petri Nets, process algebras, action logics, timed automata, rewriting
     logic, coordination languages.
   * different models of time (discrete, dense, interval, etc)
   * support for various temporal operators and idioms
   * multiple granularities of time
   * real time versus abstract time
   * modularity in temporal programming
   * handling indeterminism (concurrency)
   * modeling of producer/consumer relations.
   * comparative studies of languages
   * operational models and implementation techniques
   * applications and case studies

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Challenge Problems

To give added coherency to the workshop, we have decided on a small list of
challenge problems which participants are encouraged to tackle. Submissions
will be judged in part on the extent to which they address these problems.
In our experience, an excellent way to evaluate proposed languages and
language features is to see how they help programmers solve real problems.

List of challenge problems:

  1. Lift Simulator, with GUI.
  2. Interpreter for a simple dialect of Pascal, with a Linda-like
     extension.
  3. Cooperative Problem Solving Agents

Given the limited time available and the difficulty of the (last two)
challenge problems, submissions need not describe complete solutions.

Further details on these problems are available at the following URL:
http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~dsmith/CHALLENGES/details.html.
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Submission instructions

Papers should be at most 10 pages in length. Papers will be evaluated on the
basis of originality, significance, clarity, correctness, and the degree to
which they contribute to a deeper understanding of the practical
applicability of executable temporal logics. Papers that address one or more
of the listed challenge problems are especially encouraged. Papers should
point out relations to works by the same and other authors.

Send email submissions (postscript or dvi) to challenges@cs.waikato.ac.nz
by Monday, May 11, 1998.
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Important Dates

Submission deadline: Monday, May 11, 1998

Acceptance notification: Monday, May 25, 1998

Deadline for revised submissions: Monday, June 8, 1998 (subject to change)

Workshop date: Saturday, June 20, 1998 
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Organizers

Michael Fisher
Department of Computing & Mathematics
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester M1 5GD, U.K.
tel: (+44) 161 247 1488 fax: (+44) 161 247 1483
http://www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/STAFF/M.Fisher
email: M.Fisher@doc.mmu.ac.uk

Mehmet A Orgun
Department of Computing
Macquarie University
Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
Tel: +61 (0)2 9850 9570 Fax: +61 (0)2 9850 9551
http://www.comp.mq.edu.au/~mehmet
email: mehmet@mpce.mq.edu.au orgunm@acm.org

Donald A. Smith
Department of Computer Science
University of Waikato
Private Bag 3105
Hamilton, NEW ZEALAND
Tel: +64 (7) 838-4503 FAX: +64 (7) 838-4155
http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/cs/Staff/don-a.-smith.html
email: dsmith@cs.waikato.ac.nz

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challenges.html / challenges@cs.waikato.ac.nz