Subject: Conference: Formal Techniques for Java Programs; June 12-16, 2000

From: Geoffrey Fox <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2000 13:52:18 -0500

Workshop on Formal Techniques for Java Programs
                 in conjunction with ECOOP 2000
        Sophia Antipolis and Cannes, France, June 12-16, 2000

Topic:

Formal techniques can help to analyze programs, to precisely describe
program behavior, and to verify program properties. Applying such
techniques to object-oriented technology is especially interesting
because: 

 1. The OO-paradigm forms the basis for the software component
    industry with their need for certification techniques. 
 2. It is widely used for distributed and network programming.
 3. The potential for reuse in OO-programming carries over to
    reusing specifications and proofs. 

Such formal techniques are sound, only if based on a formalization of
the language itself. 

Java is a good platform to bridge the gap between formal techniques
and practical program development. It plays an important role in these
areas and is on the way to becoming a de facto standard because of its
reasonably clear semantics and its standardized library. 

However, the language Java contains novel language features, which are
not fully understood yet. Furthermore, Java supports a novel paradigm
for program deployment, and improves interactivity, portability and
manageability. However, this paradigm also opens new possibilities for
abuse and causes concern about security. 

Thus, work on formal techniques and tools for Java programming and
formal underpinnings of Java complement each other. This workshop aims
to bring together people working in these areas. 

Possible topics are:
- interface specification languages
- specification of software components and library packages
- specification techniques, in particular for distributed applications
- modularity and reuse of specifications and proofs 
- verification technology and logics
- automated checking of program properties
- Java language semantics
- Java environment issues
- Java virtual machine
- dynamic linking and loading, security

The workshop provides a forum for about ten short presentations that
are selected according to the quality and focus of the submissions. In
a discussion session, we want to study and compare the application of
the techniques to concrete examples that are distributed before the
workshop. 

Submissions:

We solicit position papers and extended abstracts on new developments
or interesting applications of formal techniques in the context of
Java. Each submission should consist of a technical section (1 page
for position papers and 5 pages for extended abstracts) and a section
sketching the background of the author(s) and his/her/their
expectations towards the workshop (up to 2 pages). Submissions will be
selected for participation and long presentations by the
organizers. The organizers will provide feed-back on all submissions. 

Submissions must be either electronic (encouraged) or postal
(discouraged). Electronic submissions must be in Postscript or PDF
format and prepared for USLetter or A4 page sizes. Springer LNCS-style
is recommended. 

All submissions must include an abstract in ASCII format, a return
postal address, a telephone number, and an email address (if
available).

Send submissions to [email-masked].

The proceedings will be printed as technical report of
Fernuniversitaet Hagen and will be available at the workshop. One page
abstracts of accepted contributions will be published in the workshop
reader together with a report on the workshop (provided that a
workshop reader will be published as in the last four years; probably
Springer LNCS). It is planned that a special issue of Wiley's Theory
and Practice of Object Systems (TAPOS, see
www.wiley.com/compbooks/object/index.html) will be dedicated to
selected contributions from the FTfJP workshop. 

FTfJP 2000 Homepage:

http://www.informatik.fernuni-hagen.de/pi5/workshops/ecoop2000.html

Important Dates:
 
Deadline for submission:    March 24, 2000
Notification of acceptance: April 10, 2000
Final version:              May   14, 2000
Day of workshop:            June  12 or 13, 2000
 
Organizers:

Sophia Drossopoulou     (Imperial College, Great Britain)
Susan Eisenbach         (Imperial College, Great Britain)
Bart Jacobs             (University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands)
Gary T. Leavens         (Iowa State University, USA)
Peter Mueller           (Fernuniversitaet Hagen, Germany)
Arnd Poetzsch-Heffter   (Fernuniversitaet Hagen, Germany)

Geoffrey Fox  [email-masked] [email-masked]
Phones Cell 315-254-6387  Syracuse Office 315-443-2163 FSU Office 850-644-4587