Better state pictures facilitating state machine characteristic conjecture

Abstract The mutual exclusion protocol invented by Mellor-Crummey and Scott (called MCS protocol) is used to exemplify that state picture designs based on which the machine graphical animation (SMGA) tool produces animations should be better visualized. Variants of have been in Java virtual machines therefore 2006 Edsger W. Dijkstra Prize Distributed Computing went their paper protocol. new design a formalizing assessed Gestalt principles, more specifically proximity principle similarity principle. We report core part formal verification case study SMGA largely contributed successful completion proof enjoys property. lessons learned acquired through our experiments are summarized as two groups tips. first group some tips how make designs. second one conjecture characteristics using tool. also has made for Anderson discovered