Toward Understanding Dynamic Behavior in Abstract Machines

This article proposes an abstract machine, known by the acronym FM, for modeling behavior currently described by finite state machines (SMs) in conjunction with related notions such as state and event. Although the SM concept was born more than 50 years ago and is widely applied in hardware design, the literature suggests it is not well understood despite its use in other application fields, especially in software system design. Several SM-based examples are remodeled in terms of the proposed machine, and they reveal a richer conception of the dynamic aspects of systems. FM enhances understanding of concepts in control modeling such as states, events, behavior, and control. The article exposes the limitations of unrefined SM features used in modeling software systems. It is suggested that FM be used as a modeling tool in the software system design process.