Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Volume 1180.
From 16th Conference on the Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science.
Springer-Verlag, Hyderabad, India.
December, 1996.
Pages 43–51.

In the decade of the 1990s, formal methods have progressed from an academic curiosity at best, and a target of ridicule at worst, to a point where the leading manufacturer of microprocessors has indicated that its next design will be formally verified. In this short paper, I sketch a plausible history of the developments that led to this transformation, present a snapshot of the current state of the practice, and indicate some promising directions for the future. Mindful of the title of this conference, I suggest how formal methods might have an impact on software similar to that which they have had on hardware.

@inproceedings{Rushby96:FSTTCS,
    AUTHOR = {John Rushby},
    TITLE = {Mechanized Formal Methods: Progress and Prospects},
    BOOKTITLE = {16th Conference on the Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science},
    YEAR = {1996},
    SERIES = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science},
    VOLUME = {1180},
    PAGES = {43--51},
    ADDRESS = {Hyderabad, India},
    MONTH = {dec},
    PUBLISHER = {Springer-Verlag},
    URL = {http://www.csl.sri.com/papers/fsttcs96/}
}

• fsttcs96-slides.ps.gz
• fsttcs96.dvi.gz
• fsttcs96.ps.gz