Correctness by Meaning: Formal Methods for the Natural-Language Era: 2 (Meaning Engineering for Software Systems) - Softcover

Singh, Abhay

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798241437068

Publisher: Independently published, 2025

Synopsis

Most production bugs aren’t coding errors. They are semantic misunderstandings.

You implemented the ticket exactly as written. The tests passed. But at 3:00 AM, the system crashed because "immediately" meant "within 500ms" to the user, but "eventually" to your database.

We are entering the Natural Language Era, where ambiguous specs meet non-deterministic LLMs. The old way of "move fast and break things" is no longer a growth strategy; it’s a liability.

Correctness by Meaning is not a textbook on obscure math. It is a field guide for engineers who are tired of being paged. It bridges the gap between high-level human intent and low-level system behavior using accessible formal methods.

You will learn how to:

• Eliminate Ambiguity: Use Controlled Natural Language (CNL) to write requirements that compile into tests.

• Stop Configuration Drift: Treat feature flags as propositional logic (SAT) to prevent impossible states.

• Verify Distributed Systems: Replace "it usually works" with temporal logic to guarantee safety in workflows and APIs.

• Tame LLMs: Treat prompts as executable code with strict invariants, preventing hallucinations and security leaks before they happen.

• Build the Spec Compiler: A practical blueprint for turning text requirements into enforceable system checks.

Stop writing code that "looks right." Start building systems that are correct by meaning.

Edition details

• Publisher: Independently published
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798241437068
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144