This paper confirms a conjecture of Bergstra and Klop’s from 1984 by establishing that the process algebra obtained by adding an auxiliary operator proposed by Hennessy in 1981 to the recursion free fragment of Milner’s Calculus of Communicationg Systems is not finitely based modulo bisimulation equivalence. Thus Hennessy’s merge cannot replace the left merge and communication merge operators proposed by Bergstra and Klop, at least if a finite axiomatization of parallel composition is desired.

Trace semantics has been defined for various non-deterministic systems with different input/output types, or with different types of “non-determinism ” such as classical non-determinism (with a set of possible choices) vs. probabilistic nondeterminism. In this paper we claim that these various forms of “trace semantics” are instances of a single categorical construction, namely coinduction in a Kleisli category. This claim is based on our main technical result that an initial algebra in

In 1981 Structural Operational Semantics (SOS) was introduced as a systematic way to define operational semantics of programming languages by a set of rules of a certain shape [62]. Subsequently, the format of SOS rules became the object of study. Using so-called Transition System Specifications (TSS’s) several authors syntactically restricted the format of rules and showed several useful properties about the semantics induced by any TSS adhering to the format. This has resulted in a line of research proposing several syntactical rule formats and associated meta-theorems. Properties that are guaranteed by such rule formats range from well-definedness of the operational semantics and compositionality of behavioral equivalences to security- and probability-related issues. In this paper, we provide an initial hierarchy of SOS rules formats and meta-theorems formulated around them.

In 1981 Structural Operational Semantics (SOS) was introduced as a systematic way to define operational semantics of programming languages by a set of rules of a certain shape [G.D. Plotkin, A structural approach to operational semantics, Technical

Considering operators defined using Structural Operational Semantics (SOS), commutativity axioms are intuitive properties that hold for many of them. Proving this intuition is usually a laborious task, requiring several pages of boring and standard proof. To save this effort, we propose a syntactic SOS format which guarantees commutativity for a set of composition operators.

Abstract. This paper surveys some classic and recent results on the finite axiomatizability of bisimilarity over CCS-like languages. It focuses, in particular, on non-finite axiomatizability results stemming from the semantic interplay between parallel composition and nondeterministic choice. The paper also highlights the role that auxiliary operators, such as Bergstra and Klop’s left and communication merge and Hennessy’s merge operator, play in the search for a finite, equational axiomatization of parallel composition both for classic process algebras and for their real-time extensions. 1 The Problem and its History Process algebras are prototype description languages for reactive systems that arose from the pioneering work of figures like Bergstra, Hoare, Klop and Milner. Well-known examples of such languages are ACP [18], CCS [44], CSP [40] and Meije [13]. These algebraic description languages for processes differ in the basic collection of operators that they offer for building new process descriptions from existing ones. However, since they are designed to allow for the description and analysis of systems of interacting processes, all these languages contain some form of parallel composition (also known as merge) operator allowing one to put two process terms in parallel with one another. These operators usually interleave the behaviours of their arguments, and support some form of synchronization between them. For example, Milner’s CCS offers the binary operator ||, whose intended semantics is described by the following classic rules in the style of Plotkin [49]. x µ → x ′ x | | y µ → x ′ | | y y µ → y ′ x | | y µ → x | | y ′ x α → x ′ , y ¯α → y ′ x | | y τ → x ′ | | y ′ (In the above rules, the symbol µ stands for an action that a process may perform, α and ¯α are two observable actions that may synchronize, and τ is a symbol denoting the result of their synchronization.)

We discuss acom bination of GSOS-type structural operationalsema tics with explicittermit.(kwfi that we call the tagh-formV (tagh being short fortermkz-.RV and GSOS hybrid).The tagh-formV distinguishes between transition andterm(qk.RV rules, but allows besides active and negativepremfifi. as in GSOS, also for, what is calledtermVkk. RV and passiveargumw ts.We extend the result of Aceto, Bloom and Vaandrager on theautomzV4 generation of sound and com pleteaxiomk(zq.R)4( for GSOS to the setting of tagh-transitionsystem specifications.The construction of the equational theory is based upon the notion of asm oth and distinctive operation, which have been generalizedfrom GSOS to tagh.Theexam)-( provided indicate a significantimk - vemw t over the me hanical axiom.)wfifi).R techniques known so far. 1

Abstract Considering operators defined using Structural Operational Semantics (SOS), commutativity axioms are intuitive properties that hold for many of them. Proving this intuition is usually a laborious task, requiring several pages of boring and standard proof. To save this effort, we propose a syntactic SOS format which guarantees commutativity for a set of composition operators.

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