The Linux Foundation, a non-profit tech consortium responsible for managing numerous open source projects, has recently announced the creation of the TLA+ Foundation. This new organization aims to encourage the adoption and advancement of the TLA+ programming language, with AWS, Oracle, and Microsoft as key initial members.
TLA+ is a formal specification language conceived by computer scientist and Microsoft Research mathematician Leslie Lamport. Lamport, noted for his significant contributions to distributed systems, designed TLA+ for modelling, documenting, designing, and verifying concurrent and distributed software programs.
For example, ElasticSearch, the company behind the eponymous search engine, used TLA+ to confirm the accuracy of their distributed system algorithms. In another instance, electrical systems manufacturer Thales used TLA+ to develop and model fault-tolerant modules for its industrial control platform.
A spokesperson for the Linux Foundation explained in an email to TechCrunch that TLA+ is focused on specifying a system rather than implementing software. It relies on mathematical principles like set theory and temporal logic, enabling developers to formally express a system's desired correctness properties.
With a built-in model checker and theorem prover, TLA+ verifies whether a system's specifications meet its intended properties. These tools aid developers in reasoning about systems above the code level, helping them find and fix potential design flaws prior to software engineering's later stages. As software design failures are widespread and can be disastrous, utilizing TLA+ can help ensure safer and more efficient software development.
As part of its mission, the TLA+ Foundation will offer training and educational resources, fund research initiatives, develop new tools, and foster a community of TLA+ users. It will also participate in the evolution of the language by making decisions on improvements, addressing user feedback, and guiding its progression.
The Linux Foundation aims to boost the visibility and support for TLA+ by establishing a dedicated foundation under its umbrella. As a result, the programming language could gain broader adoption across the tech industry. Companies like Amazon, Oracle, and Microsoft have already successfully utilized TLA+ to design planetary-scale systems. The Linux Foundation also seeks to advance formal methods and concurrent and distributed systems research by encouraging greater collaboration between the industry and academia.
As the no-code, low-code movement continues to grow in popularity, platforms like AppMaster.io are transforming the landscape of application development. By emphasizing simplicity and usability, the AppMaster platform allows businesses to develop web, mobile, and backend applications without requiring extensive coding knowledge. In combination with initiatives like the TLA+ Foundation, AppMaster aids in making software development more accessible and efficient for everyone.
