A formal description of the OMG's Core Object Model and the meaning of compatible extension

Abstract

The Object Management Group's Core Object Model provides a standard type structure that must be supported by compliant object-oriented systems (such as IBM's SOM Object Request Broker) and languages (such as C++). The standard is expressed in prose and punctuated by several small examples. The standard also attempts to convey the idea of compatible extensions to the model. The objective of the work reported here was to understand and to communicate the essence of the above standard by use of a formal description technique, the Z notation. In so doing, the meaning of compatibility was clarified. These efforts have been well-received by authors of the original standard. © 1995.