Abstract state machines

Abstract State Machines (ASM), formerly known as Evolving Algebras, are a formal method for specification and verification. In computer science, the term abstract state machine is used as a synonym for a finite state machine with regard to abstract algorithms for sorting. The approach was originally developed by Yuri Gurevich, based around the concept of an abstract state machine, and is also espoused by Egon Börger. ASM theory is the basis for Abstract State Machine Language by Microsoft and XASM (Anlauff's eXtensible ASMs), an open source implementation. A number of support tools are available.
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