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Comment by gpm | Hacker News Reader

I've done this course. It's interesting and makes you think, would recommend if that's what you're looking for.

While not my area of expertise, I don't this course is particularly relevant to any practical modern formal methods unless you want to reinvent the world.

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I took both the intro and advanced version of this course in my undergrad. Academically interesting stuff, but the inability to translate from proved system to implemented and proved system was always frustrating.

It was definitey a clear delineation between _computer science_ and _engineering science_ during my undergraduate courses.

It it applicable to the "practical" (or practiced?) software development?

I wouldn't say so, maybe slightly in that it might help with thought patterns a bit, but in the way that studying advanced mathematics might help not as in you're likely to directly use the skills.

Thanks for putting it in context. This is exactly what I'm looking for. (making it practical, I'll take care of that myself).

Do you have any suggestions for courses teaching practical formal methods?

These aren’t courses, but I recommend looking at TLA+ and Alloy. Some of my colleagues use Isabelle, Coq, and Agda too, but the first two seem most relevant to learn.

I've also heard good things about lean.

I forgot about Lean, but yeah I’ve heard good things too! Hillel Wayne has a good email list I recommend where he sends weekly posts on different tools :)

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