Overture Tool

The Vienna Development Method is one of the established tools employed in creating computer-based systems and software. Having strong connections to Mathematics, VDM is one of the power tools used by IT specialists all over the world to generate accurate models.

In this context, Overture Tool presents itself as a noteworthy Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for developing and analyzing VDM modules. It can be a highly potent utility for developers and students specializing in programming and the development of new applications.

As with most similar products, the program comes with a very complex and modular interface that will take some time to get accustomed to. However, barring the sheer number of menu items and windows that are particular to this software, veteran professionals will swiftly recognize the classic code development layout, with a large window for input lines and a few side panels for error or debug logs and variable lists.

As with any time-proven product, there are several VDM dialects available for development and the program supports three versions: SL (the standard ISO/VDM-SK with a modular extension), PP (geared towards object oriented formal specifications) and RT (used to model and analyze Real-Time embedded systems).

Once a dialect has been chosen, users are free to include several libraries. These will be employed in the future project and the variables contained therein can determine the performance of a model. The program allows users to define breakpoints and watch-points, which greatly facilitates debugging the project.

Summing up, Overture Tool is a great tool for specialized VDM IT or Mathematics professionals, who can employ it to run and debug comprehensive models.