Amsterdam Minutes + meeting announcement

[Michel.Bidoit@lsv.ens-cachan.fr (Michel Bidoit)]

Content:
========

1) Minutes of the Amsterdam meeting
2) Meeting announcement
3) List of expected notes

------------------------------------

1) Minutes of the Amsterdam meeting, Sunday Sept. 28th, 1997.
   [Apologies for the delay in sending these minutes - MB]

Participants:
Michel Bidoit - Christine Choppy - Mark van den Brand - Bernd Krieg-Bruckner
Frederic Voisin - Peter Mosses - Pippo Scollo - Hubert Baumeister

Two issues were discussed during the meetings:
   a) Plans for the future: It is clear that the activity on Methodology
      has not yet reached the expected level. In particular not enough
      notes are available for discussion. This can be easily explained:
      people being extremely busy, no concrete syntax available yet for
      writing illustrating examples, underground work not yet available as
      a note.

      Clearly, more time is needed for the preparation of the Methodology
      notes. It is decided to have another Methodology meeting beginning of
      1998 (joined with Tools and Language Design, in Bremen), and the
      volunteers are kindly asked to make their best to prepare further
      material for discussion (see below).

   b) The Note by Hubert Baumeister on Union and Extension (and granularity
      of structured specifications) has been extensively discussed. It is
      impossible to reflect the lively discussion here, but it should be
      noted that this note has shown that even a first draft was very
      helpful (and likely to raise a lot of quite interesting issues).
      It has been decided that Hubert will produce a revised version of his
      note, trying to integrate the comments and suggestions made during
      the meeting.

2) Meeting announcement.
The next meeting of the CoFI Methodology Task Group will be held in Bremen,
Saturday January 10th, 1998 (in conjunction with Tools and Language Design,
see the respective announcements).

3) List of expected notes.

Below is the list of notes as decided in the Tarquinia meeting. Let me
stress that the more "basic" notes (C - D - E - F - H) seem to be the more
urgently needed, together with Note A.

Let me stress also that even a first sketchy version of the notes would be
extremely valuable. There is no need to polish all of the arguments, but on
the contrary to make clear statements that will be discussed in Bremen.
In the absence of an "official" concrete syntax, please just use some ad hoc
sugar. 

I kindly urge all volunteers to prepare some material, and to make it
available by January 5th. The notes should be sent directly to Peter
Mosses, who will install them and let me know. I will then announce them on
this mailing list.

Here is the list of notes to be written (as decided in Tarquinia):

(A)	Note discussing refinement and the role of architectural
	specifications (and possibly the role of other constructs)
	AT (+ DS + MB)

(B) 	Note on generic specifications
	MB (+ GR)

(C)	Note on partiality
	GR (+ Martin Wirsing)

(D)	Note on subsorts (how to avoid partiality with subsorts)
	BKB (+ Anne Haxthausen + Olaf)

(E)	Note on various kinds of subsorts
	Maura Cerioli

(F)	Note on predicates (versus boolean functions - least fixed point -
	partiality) 
	GR

(G)	Note on initiality and freeness
	GR

(H)	Note on datatype definitions
	CC

(I)	Note on union and extension (and granularity of struct. spec)
	HB (+ MB)

(J)	Note on encapsulation, hiding (3 levels)
	MB

(K)	Note on libraries
	PM (+BKB)

Important:
==========
	* The notes should be written using the cofidoc.sty package
	* The notes should provide relevant examples in concrete syntax
          (possibly ad hoc concrete syntax)
	* The notes should be kept concise (5 to 10 pages)
          A FIRST SKETCHY DRAFT IS PREFERABLE TO NOTHING
	* The notes should preferably be written using the style used by
          Peter Mosses in his Tapsoft paper. This helps in designing the
          note (cf. the quote convention). 

Best regards,
Michel Bidoit