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EDUCATIONAL PEARL: ‘Proof-directed debugging’ revisited for a first-order version

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2006

KWANGKEUN YI
Affiliation:
School of Computer Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea (e-mail: kwang@ropas.snu.ac.kr)
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Abstract

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Some 10 years ago, Harper illustrated the powerful method of proof-directed debugging for developing programs with an article in this journal. Unfortunately, his example uses both higher-order functions and continuation-passing style, which is too difficult for students in an introductory programming course. In this pearl, we present a first-order version of Harper's example and demonstrate that it is easy to transform the final version into an efficient state machine. Our new version convinces students that the approach is useful, even essential, in developing both correct and efficient programs.

Type
Educational Pearls
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press
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