FX-87 is born

[mit-vax!jouvelot@eddie.mit.edu (Pierre Jouvelot)]

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The FX-87 Programming Language and its Reference Manual are now available.

Quoting the abstract :

  "The FX programming language is designed to support the parallel
  implementation of applications that perform both symbolic and scientific
  computations.  Unlike previous languages, FX uses an effect system to
  discover expression scheduling constraints. The effect system is part of
  a kinded type system with three base kinds: 

  . types, which describe the value of an expression; 
  . effects, which describe the side-effects that an expression may have;
  . regions, which describe the areas of the store in which side-effects
    may occur.

  Types, effects, and regions are collectively called descriptions.
  
  FX expressions can be abstracted over any kind of description.  This
  permits type, effect, and region polymorphism.  Unobservable side-effects
  are masked by the effect system; an effect soundness property guarantees
  that the effects computed statically by the effect system are a
  conservative approximation of the actual side-effects that a given
  expression may have.
  
  Effect polymorphism and effect masking make the FX effect system
  substantially more powerful than previous approaches to side-effect
  analysis."
 
The "FX-87 Reference Manual (Edition 1.0)" is the MIT/LCS Technical Report
no.407 and can be ordered (for about $12) at the following address :

	LCS Publications
	Laboratory for Computer Science
	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
	545, Technology Square
	Cambridge, MA 02139
	U.S.A.

An experimental and sequential version of FX has been implemented in Scheme.
People interested in implementation issues can contact gifford@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU
for more information.


						David K. Gifford
						Pierre Jouvelot
						John M. Lucassen
						Mark A. Sheldon
--
Pierre Jouvelot
Room NE43-403				ARPA:   jouvelot@xx.lcs.mit.edu
Lab for Computer Science		USENET: decvax!mit-vax!jouvelot
MIT						(or mcvax!litp!pj)
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Cambridge, MA 02139
USA