MULTILISP: a language for concurrent symbolic computation

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MULTILISP: a language for concurrent symbolic computation (1985)

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by Robert H. Halstead

Venue:	ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems
Citations:	529 - 1 self

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@ARTICLE{Halstead85multilisp:a,
    author = {Robert H. Halstead},
    title = {MULTILISP: a language for concurrent symbolic computation},
    journal = {ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems},
    year = {1985},
    volume = {7},
    pages = {501--538}
}

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Abstract

Multilisp is a version of the Lisp dialect Scheme extended with constructs for parallel execution. Like Scheme, Multilisp is oriented toward symbolic computation. Unlike some parallel programming languages, Multilisp incorporates constructs for causing side effects and for explicitly introducing parallelism. The potential complexity of dealing with side effects in a parallel context is mitigated by the nature of the parallelism constructs and by support for abstract data types: a recommended Multilisp programming style is presented which, if followed, should lead to highly parallel, easily understandable programs. Multilisp is being implemented on the 32-processor Concert multiprocessor; however, it is ulti-mately intended for use on larger multiprocessors. The current implementation, called Concert Multilisp, is complete enough to run the Multilisp compiler itself and has been run on Concert prototypes including up to eight processors. Concert Multilisp uses novel techniques for task scheduling and garbage collection. The task scheduler helps control excessive resource utilization by means of an unfair scheduling policy; the garbage collector uses a multiprocessor algorithm based on the incremental garbage collector of Baker.

Keyphrases

concurrent symbolic computation concert multilisp side effect abstract data type excessive resource utilization recommended multilisp programming style novel technique multiprocessor algorithm multilisp compiler task scheduler 32-processor concert multiprocessor parallelism construct task scheduling parallel programming language symbolic computation concert prototype lisp dialect scheme unfair scheduling policy potential complexity current implementation parallel context garbage collector parallel execution understandable program garbage collection incremental garbage collector

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