Operational semantics of programming languages

A framework is developed for the operational characterization of the semantics of computational formalisms such as programming languages, digital computers and automata. Operational semantics is contrasted with input-output semantics and it is shown that input-output semantics is inappropriate to the study of certain important implementation-dependent attributes of computational formalisms. Notions of equivalence are developed for a very general class of operational models called information structure models. The structure of proofs of compiler correctness and interpreter equivalence is discussed independently of the form of the states and state transitions of a specific interpreter. These techniques are then applied to defining a correctness criterion for block structure implementations and to correctness proofs of interpreters for block structure languages.

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