Building Abstractions for Concurrent Object-Oriented Programming - Abstract
Ole Lehrmann Madsen
Computer Science Department, Aarhus University
Ny Munkegade, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Phone: +45 86 12 71 88
E-mail: olmadsen@cs.au.dk
Draft February 1993
Abstract
A large number of different models for concurrent object-oriented
programming have been proposed.
None of this models have received widespread acceptance.
In this paper the Simula model of quasi-parallel execution is
extended to include concurrency and synchronization.
Active objects may execute concurrently and access shared objects
without synchronization.
Synchronization may be obtained by means of semaphores.
In order to avoid explicit low-level manipulation of semaphores,
it is possible to build high-level concurrency abstractions that
encapsulates and hide the details of the semaphores.
A class library may then include abstractions corresponding to
commonly used mechanisms like monitor and rendezvous.
When these mechanisms are not adequate, it is possible to define
new concurrency abstractions.
This approach to concurrent object-oriented programming makes it
possible to use many different concurrency abstractions within
the same language.
It is also possible to some extent to inherit synchronization
constraints.
Category: Research.
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