Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.6.2.17 $; site uiucdcsb.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcsb!robison From: robison@uiucdcsb.UUCP Newsgroups: net.arch Subject: Re: RE: Automated Structured Analysis Message-ID: <5600024@uiucdcsb.UUCP> Date: Thu, 14-Feb-85 00:43:00 EST Article-I.D.: uiucdcsb.5600024 Posted: Thu Feb 14 00:43:00 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 8-Feb-85 01:22:15 EST References: <68@milford.UUCP> Lines: 23 Nf-ID: #R:milford:-6800:uiucdcsb:5600024:000:913 Nf-From: uiucdcsb!robison Feb 6 23:43:00 1985 I'm working on something similiar to a UNIX data-flow machine. I have a pipe-like syntax for Backus' functional programming language. I believe it does not have to run slowly on an ordinary von-Neumann machine. All that is necessary is a good globally optimizing compiler. This isn't as hard as it sounds (I hope! Its my thesis!), since the FP or pipe description is on a high enough level that the semantics aren't buried under a lot of bit pushing. A typical optimization that can be seen on a high level is: printf ("%f",F); /* in program sourcing pipe */ ... scanf ("%f",&F); /* in program reading pipe */ Clearly the printf/scanf pair is an identity that can removed. An advantage of FP is that the clumsy "tee" program is not necessary. The splitting of pipes can be done with functional forms. (Backus' FP is described in his Turing lecture in the Aug. 1978 issue of CACM)