J. C. M. Baeten

"This volume gives the proceedings of the conference CONCUR '90. This is the first conference organized by ESPRIT Basic Research Action 3006, CONCUR (Theories of Concurrency: Unification and Extension), started in September 1989. The principal aims of the action are to explore the relationships among the different approaches to algebraic concurrency theory, and to develop a formalism applicable to a wide range of case studies. The articles in this volume describe the state of the art in concurrency, the theory of communicating concurrent (or distributed) systems."--PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE.

Timing issues are of growing importance for the conceptualization and design of computer-based systems. Timing may simply be essential for the correct behaviour of a system, e.g. of a controller. Even if timing is not essential for the correct behaviour of a system, there may be good reasons to introduce it in such a way that suitable timing becomes relevant for the correct behaviour of a complex system. This book is unique in presenting four algebraic theories about processes, each dealing with timing from a different point of view, in a coherent and systematic way. The timing of actions is either relative or absolute and the underlying time scale is either discrete or continuous. All presented theories are extensions of the algebra of communicating processes. The book is essential reading for researchers and advanced students interested in timing issues in the context of the design and analysis of concurrent and communicating processes.