The Way We Were: Structural Operational Semantics Research in Perspective

TL;DR

This paper reviews the history and current state of Structural Operational Semantics (SOS) research, highlighting declining interest and proposing future directions to rejuvenate the field based on recent trends and reflections.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of SOS research trends and offers insights and suggestions for revitalizing the field through new perspectives and research directions.

Findings

Decreasing interest in SOS research over time

Analysis of workshop and conference data shows declining activity

Proposes future directions to rekindle SOS research

Abstract

This position paper on the (meta-)theory of Structural Operational Semantic (SOS) is motivated by the following two questions: (1) Is the (meta-)theory of SOS dying out as a research field? (2) If so, is it possible to rejuvenate this field with a redefined purpose? In this article, we will consider possible answers to those questions by first analysing the history of the EXPRESS/SOS workshops and the data concerning the authors and the presentations featured in the editions of those workshops as well as their subject matters. The results of our quantitative and qualitative analyses all indicate a diminishing interest in the theory of SOS as a field of research. Even though `all good things must come to an end', we strive to finish this position paper on an upbeat note by addressing our second motivating question with some optimism. To this end, we use our personal reflections and an analysis of recent trends in two of the flagship conferences in the field of Programming Languages (namely POPL and PDLI) to draw some conclusions on possible future directions that may rejuvenate research on the (meta-)theory of SOS. We hope that our musings will entice members of the research community to breathe new life into a field of research that has been kind to three of the authors of this article.