Formal Aspects of Computing

Formal Aspects of Computing: Applicable Formal Methods (FAC) is a Gold Open Access journal publishing contributions at the junction of theory and practice. The objective is to disseminate applicable research. Thus, new theoretical contributions are welcome where they are motivated by potential application; applications of existing formalisms are of interest if they show something novel about the approach or application.

The term "formal methods" has been applied to a range of notations, theories and tools. There is no doubt that some of these have already had a significant impact on practical applications of computing. Indeed, it is interesting to note that once something is adopted into practical use it is no longer thought of as a formal method. Apart from widely used notations such as those for syntax and state machines, there have been significant applications of specification notations, development methods and tools both for proving general results and for searching for specific conditions. However, the most profound and lasting influence of the formal approach is the way it has illuminated fundamental concepts like those of communication.

In this spirit, the principal aim of FAC is to promote the growth of computing science, to show its relation to practice and to stimulate applications of apposite formalisms to practical problems. One significant challenge is to show how a range of formal models can be related to each other.