The Meta-IV (pronounced like "metaphor") was an early version of the specification language of the

Vienna Development Method The Vienna Development Method (VDM) is one of the longest-established formal methods for the development of computer-based systems. Originating in work done at the IBM Laboratory Vienna in the 1970s, it has grown to include a group of techniques ...

formal method for the development of computer-based systems.

History

One of the first occurrences of Meta-IV in print appears to be "Programming in the Meta-language: A Tutorial".Bjørner&Jones 1978, p24.

Dines Bjørner Dines Bjørner (born 4 October 1937) is a Danish computer scientist. He specializes in research into domain engineering, requirements engineering and formal methods. He worked with Cliff Jones and others on the Vienna Development Method (VDM) ...

used it in the very beginning of his tutorial as a footnote

This paper provides an informal introduction to the "art" of abstractly specifying software architectures using the ''VDM'' meta-language^*. A formal treatment of the semantics, as well as a BNF-like concrete syntax, of a large subset of the meta-language is given in ones 78afollowing this paper.

The spirit of the Meta-IV specification language is well captured by the following passage

We stress here... that the meta-language is to be used, not for solving algorithmic problems (on a computer), but for specifying, in an implementation-independent way, the architecture (or models) of software. Instead of using informal English mixed with technical jargon, we offer you a very-high-level 'programming' language. We do not offer an interpreter or compiler for this meta-language. And we have absolutely no intention of ever wasting our time trying to mechanize this meta-language. We wish, as we have done in the past, and as we intend to continue doing in the future, to further develop the notation and to express notions in ways for which no mechanical interpreter system can ever be provided.

VDM is a Method. The Meta-IV was the Specification language that accompanied the method, and the

VDM-SL The Vienna Development Method (VDM) is one of the longest-established formal methods for the development of computer-based systems. Originating in work done at the IBM Laboratory Vienna in the 1970s, it has grown to include a group of techniques ...

is the current standardized form of that language. Since the VDM-SL has become standardized, then one may use Meta-IV to denote the three specific Schools of the VDM which existed (and to some extent still do) from the 1970s onwards: * The Danish School — founded b
Dines Bjørner
* The English School — founded b
Cliff Jones
* The Irish School — founded b
Mícheál Mac an Airchinnigh
A brief account of these different Schools is given in the text "Mathematical Approaches to Software Quality". A comprehensive VDM Bibliography is also available.

The Schools of VDM

The Danish School

founded by

To mention: *

Technical University of Denmark The Technical University of Denmark (), often simply referred to as DTU, is a polytechnic university and school of engineering. It was founded in 1829 at the initiative of Hans Christian Ørsted as Denmark's first polytechnic, and it is today ran ...

(DTU) in Lyngby * Dansk Datamatik Center (DDC)

The English School

founded by

Cliff Jones (computer scientist) Clifford "Cliff" B. Jones (born 1 June 1944) is a British computer scientist, specializing in research into formal methods. He undertook a late Doctor of Philosophy, DPhil at the Oxford University Computing Laboratory (now the Oxford Universit ...

To mention: * University of Manchester * University of Newcastle

The Irish School

founded by Mícheál Mac an Airchinnigh
To mention: * University of Dublin, Trinity College The first appearance of the name "Irish School of the VDM" occurs in a PhD Thesis: Mac an Airchinnigh, Mícheál. Conceptual Models and Computing. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin, 1990, p. 41:

There is essential universal agreement on what constitutes the VDM. However, there are basically two major Schools of the VDM largely distinguished by notational differences employed in the specification language ''Meta-IV'' — the Danish School and the English School."

and further down on the same page

There is also the Polish School, which finds expression through the MetaSoft project (Blikle 1987, 1988, 1990). I will frequently need to distinguish between the style of notation and method that I use from those of the other Schools of the VDM. I ''presume'' to use the phrase 'the Irish School of the VDM' to draw that distinction.

The Thesis is available online. Other substantial works related to the School are also online.

VDM Europe

The three Schools were brought under a common organizational structure called VDM Europe which held it first international conference in Brussels, Belgium, March 23–26, 1987. At the time funding was provided under the Esprit Programme of the European Union. Meetings were mostly held in the EU Commission buildings in Brussels, Belgium. VDM Europe eventually was dissolved in favor of

Formal Methods Europe Formal Methods Europe (FME) is an organization whose aim is to encourage the research and application of formal methods for the improvement of software and computer hardware, hardware in computer-based systems. The association's members are drawn fr ...

, founded in 1992. Minutes of the first meeting of FME are available online.

Conferences

List of the VDM and FME conferences (http://www.informatik.uni-trier.de/~ley/db/conf/fm/)

Notes

Reading Links

# # #

External links

* * {{cite web, url=http://www.fmeurope.org/ , title=Formal Methods Europe , accessdate=2008-08-13 Formal specification languages