The
Programming Research Group (
PRG) is part of the
Oxford University Computing LaboratoryThe Department of Computer Science, until 2011 named the Computing Laboratory , is a department of Oxford University in England...
(OUCL). It was founded by
Christopher StracheyChristopher Strachey was a British computer scientist. He was one of the founders of denotational semantics, and a pioneer in programming language design...
in 1965 and after his death, C.A.R. Hoare, FRS took over the leadership in 1977. The PRG ethos is summed up by the following quotation from Strachey, found and promulgated by Tony Hoare after he arrived at the PRG:
It has long been my personal view that the separation of practical and theoretical work is artificial and injurious. Much of the practical work done in computingComputing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
, both in software and in hardwareHardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
design, is unsound and clumsy because the people who do it have not any clear understanding of the fundamental design principles of their work. Most of the abstract mathematical and theoretical work is sterile because it has no point of contact with real computing. One of the central aims of the Programming Research Group as a teaching and research group has been to set up an atmosphere in which this separation cannot happen.
The PRG has traditionally been a centre of excellence in the field of
formal methodsIn computer science and software engineering, formal methods are a particular kind of mathematically-based techniques for the specification, development and verification of software and hardware systems...
, playing a leading role in the development of the
Z notationThe Z notation , named after Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory, is a formal specification language used for describing and modelling computing systems. It is targeted at the clear specification of computer programs and computer-based systems in general.-History:...
(initiated by a visit of
Jean-Raymond AbrialJean-Raymond Abrial is a French computer scientist and inventor of the Z and B formal methods.J.-R. Abrial is the father of the Z notation , during his time at the Programming Research Group within the Oxford University Computing Laboratory, and later the B-Method , two leading...
) and
CSPIn computer science, Communicating Sequential Processes is a formal language for describing patterns of interaction in concurrent systems. It is a member of the family of mathematical theories of concurrency known as process algebras, or process calculi...
(together with the associated Occam programming language). It has won
Queen's AwardQueen's Award can refer to:* The Queen's Awards for Enterprise, formerly The Queens Awards to Industry.* The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service* The Queen's Award for Forestry* The Queen's Award for Services in the Community...
s with
IBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
and
InmosInmos Limited was a British semiconductor company, founded by Iann Barron, with both the head office and the design office at Aztec West in Bristol, it was incorporated in November 1978.- Products :...
for work in this area.
External links