The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
The Vienna Definition Language (VDL) is a language for defining programming languages. Specifically, VDL uses operational semantics to create a formal definition of a language. In operational semantics, programs are modeled using an abstract interpreter. If the program and the abstract program have equivalent properties and the abstract program is executed, the effects shown by the abstracted program will be reflected in the concrete program.
VDL was developed in the 1960s and 1970s in IBMüs Vienna Laboratory. It was the first model of operational semantics. VDL was used in the 1970s to develop the PL1 programming language.
VDL evolved into a notation called the Vienna Development Method (VDM). VDM is a collection of techniques for the specification and development of systems. Its formal specifications use mathematical notation to provide a precise statement of the intended function of a system. VDM is still in use today, most commonly in Europe.