[comp.specification] New in the formal world

gudmund@forit.uit.no (Gudmundur Joekulsson) (10/19/90)

I am working on my cand. scient. thesis (master) on Multicast transport 
protokolls for satellite communications.  The idea is to present the  
result of my design in a formal specification.  Does anyone have any
proposals regarding a specification laguage ?  I am not to much in for
the mathematica but set- notation and logic (Boolean algebra ?) sounds
fine to me.  The thing will probably never get to the verifying state.
Formal methods will allso be a part of my litterature for the exam.

From what I have read so far (not verry much) it appears to me as if
there are two different worlds of formal methods.  In some articles they
discuss LOTOS, Estelle and SDL, but in the other category the talk about
Larch, Z, VDM and others.  Is this only my misunderstanding or is there
any principal difference (other than standardization) ?
Am I completely in the dark here ? Can anyone clarify ?

With thanks in advance for any e-mail or group answers.

gudmund@forit.uit.no

Gudmundur S. J|kulsson.
FORUT (FOundation of applied Reserch at the University of Troms|),
Forhaapningen 21.B, 9000 TROMSO
Norway.