<s>
The	O
B	O
method	O
is	O
a	O
method	O
of	O
software	O
development	O
based	O
on	O
B	O
,	O
a	O
tool-supported	O
formal	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
based	O
on	O
an	O
abstract	B-Application
machine	I-Application
notation	I-Application
,	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
computer	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
B	O
is	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
Z	B-Language
notation	I-Language
(	O
also	O
originated	O
by	O
Abrial	O
)	O
and	O
supports	O
development	O
of	O
programming	O
language	O
code	O
from	O
specifications	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
B	O
has	O
been	O
used	O
in	O
major	O
safety-critical	B-Application
system	I-Application
applications	O
in	O
Europe	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
automatic	O
Paris	O
Métro	O
lines	O
14	O
and	O
1	O
and	O
the	O
Ariane	O
5	O
rocket	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
robust	O
,	O
commercially	O
available	O
tool	O
support	O
for	O
specification	B-Application
,	O
design	O
,	O
proof	O
and	O
code	B-Application
generation	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compared	O
to	O
Z	B-Language
,	O
B	O
is	O
slightly	O
more	O
low-level	O
and	O
more	O
focused	O
on	O
refinement	O
to	O
code	O
rather	O
than	O
just	O
formal	B-Application
specification	I-Application
—	O
hence	O
it	O
is	O
easier	O
to	O
correctly	O
implement	O
a	O
specification	B-Application
written	O
in	O
B	O
than	O
one	O
in	O
Z	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
language	O
is	O
used	O
in	O
specification	B-Application
,	O
design	O
and	O
programming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mechanisms	O
include	O
encapsulation	B-Application
and	O
data	O
locality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subsequently	O
,	O
another	O
formal	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
called	O
Event-B	O
has	O
been	O
developed	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
B-Method	O
,	O
support	O
by	O
the	O
Rodin	O
Platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Event-B	O
is	O
a	O
formal	B-Architecture
method	I-Architecture
aimed	O
at	O
system-level	O
modelling	O
and	O
analysis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Then	O
,	O
during	O
a	O
refinement	O
step	O
,	O
they	O
may	O
pad	O
the	O
specification	B-Application
in	O
order	O
to	O
clarify	O
the	O
goal	O
or	O
to	O
turn	O
the	O
abstract	O
machine	O
more	O
concrete	O
by	O
adding	O
details	O
about	O
data	O
structures	O
and	O
algorithms	O
that	O
define	O
,	O
how	O
the	O
goal	O
is	O
achieved	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
B-Toolkit	B-Application
is	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
programming	O
tools	O
designed	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
B-Tool	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
set	O
theory-based	O
mathematical	O
interpreter	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
purposes	O
of	O
supporting	O
the	O
B-Method	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
toolkit	O
uses	O
a	O
custom	O
X	B-Operating_System
Window	I-Operating_System
Motif	B-Application
Interface	I-Application
for	O
GUI	O
management	O
and	O
runs	O
primarily	O
on	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
and	O
Solaris	B-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
B-Toolkit	B-Application
source	O
code	O
is	O
now	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rodin	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
an	O
Eclipse	B-Application
software	I-Application
IDE	O
(	O
integrated	B-Application
development	I-Application
environment	I-Application
)	O
and	O
provides	O
support	O
for	O
refinement	O
and	O
mathematical	O
proof	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
platform	O
is	O
open	B-License
source	I-License
and	O
forms	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Eclipse	B-Application
framework	O
It	O
is	O
extendable	O
using	O
software	O
component	O
plug-ins	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
the	O
advantages	O
of	O
the	O
hardware	O
description	O
language	O
VHDL	B-Language
with	O
the	O
formality	O
of	O
B	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
organized	O
ZB	O
conferences	O
with	O
the	O
Z	B-Language
User	O
Group	O
and	O
ABZ	O
conferences	O
,	O
including	O
Abstract	B-Application
State	I-Application
Machines	I-Application
(	O
ASM	O
)	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
Z	B-Language
notation	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Specification	B-Application
in	O
B	O
:	O
An	O
Introduction	O
using	O
the	O
B	O
Toolkit	O
,	O
Kevin	O
Lano	O
,	O
World	O
Scientific	O
Publishing	O
Company	O
,	O
Imperial	O
College	O
Press	O
,	O
1996	O
.	O
.	O
</s>
