A Theory of Generic Interpreters

We present an abstract theory of interpreters. Interpreters are models of computation that are specifically designed for use as templates in computer system specification and verification. The generic interpreter theory contains an abstract representation which serves as an interface to the theory and as a guide to specification. A set of theory obligations ensure that the theory is being used correctly and provide a guide to system verification. The generic interpreter theory provides a methodology for deriving important definitions and lemmas that were previously obtained in a largely ad hoc fashion. Many of the complex data and temporal abstractions are done in the abstract theory and need not be redone when the theory is used.