Ease (programming language): Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox programming language

| name = Ease

| logo = <!-- (filename) -->

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|paradigm = [[concurrent programming language|concurrent]]

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|year = [[1990]]

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|designer = [[Steven Ericsson-Zenith]]

| paradigms = [[Concurrent computing|Concurrent]], [[communicating sequential processes]]

|developer =

| family =

|latest release version =

| designer = [[Steven Ericsson-Zenith]]

|latest release date =

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| released = {{Start date and age|1991}}

|implementations = various

| latest release version =

|dialects = [[C-with-Ease]]

| latest release date = <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes/no}} -->

|influenced_by = [[Communicating Sequential Processes]], [[Occam]], [[Linda]]

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| typing = [[Strong and weak typing|Strong]]

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| discontinued =

| platform = [[Category:Parallel computing|Parallel]]

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| website = <!-- {{url|www.example.com}} -->

| implementations = various

| dialects = [[C-with-Ease]]

|paradigm influenced by = [[concurrentoccam (programming language)|concurrentoccam]]

| influenced =

}}

'''Ease''' is a general purpose [[parallel computing|parallel]] [[programming language]]. It is designed by Steven Ericsson-Zenith, a researcher at [[Yale University]], the Institute for Advanced Science & Engineering in Silicon Valley, California, the [[Mines ParisTech|Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris]], and the [[Pierre and Marie Curie University]], the science department of the [[University of Paris (post-1970)|Sorbonne]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ericsson-Zenith |first=Steven |date=1 July 2011 |orig-year=July 1992 |title=Process Interaction Models |___location=Seattle, Washington, U.S. |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |isbn=978-1463777913 }}</ref>

The book '''Ease'Process Interaction Models'' is athe general purpose [[parallel computing|parallel]] [[programmingEase language]], designed by [[Steven Ericsson-Zenith]] of [[Yale University]]specification. ItEase combines the process constructs of [[Communicatingcommunicating sequential processes|CSP]] (CSP) with logically shared data structures called ''contexts''. Contexts are [[Parallel computing|parallel]] data types that are constructed by processes and provide a way for processes to interact.

The language includes two process constructors.

A ''cooperation'' includes an explicit barrier synchronization and is written:

::<math>\parallel P() \parallel Q() ;</math>

If one process finishes before the other, then it will wait until the other processes are finished.

A ''subordination'' creates a process that shares the ''contexts'' that are in scope when created and finishes when complete (it does not wait for other processes) and is written:

::<math>\big /\!\!/ P() ;</math>

Subordinate processes stop if they attempt to interact with a ''context'' that has completed because the parent process has stopped. This enables speculative processes to be created that will finish if their result is not needed.

Powerful ''replication'' syntax allows multiple processes to be created. For example,

::<math>\parallel {i}\; \mathrm{for}\; {n} : P(i) ;</math>

creates ''n'' synchronized processes each with a local constant ''i''.

Processes cannot share ''local'' variables and cooperate in the construction of shared ''contexts.'' Certain context types, called ''resources'', ensure call-reply semantics.

There are four functions upon contexts:

* {{mono|''read ''( context, variable)}} ),– copies a value from the shared ''context'' to the ''variable''.

* {{mono|''write ''( context, expression)}} ),– copies the value of ''expression'' to the shared ''context''.

* {{mono|''put ''( context, name)}} ),– moves the value bound to ''name'' to the shared ''context''. The value of ''name'' is subsequently ''undefined''.

* {{mono|''get ''( context, name ),}} – moves a value from ''context'' and binds it to ''name''. The value is removed from the context.

Context types are ''Singletons'', ''Bags'' or ''Streams'' and can be subscripted arrays.

Ease has a ''[[Semiotics|semiotic]] definition.''. This means that it takes intoaccounts accountfor the effect the language has on the programmer and how they develop algorithms. The language was designed to ''ease'' the developmentdeveloping of parallel programs.

== References ==

Zenith is also designer of the parallel programming language [[occam (programming language)|Occam]] and the [[Message Passing Interface|MPI]] standard. He worked at Yale University on Linda and at [[INMOS]] on the [[Transputer]] microprocessor for [[parallel computing]]. Like Occam, the definition of Ease uses CSP as its mathematical foundation. Steven Zenith is currently at the [[Institute for Advanced Science & Engineering]] in California.

{{Reflist}}

== External linksBibliography ==

* [https://books.google.com/books?id=8GssNAAACAAJ John Redman, An Implementation of the Ease Programming Language, University of Western Australia, 1991]

* [http://process-interaction-models.info Steven Ericsson-Zenith's web site on Process Interaction Models and Ease.]

* [https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=590304 T.H. MacKenzie, T.I. Dix, "A distributed memory multiprocessor implementation of C-with-Ease," IEEE International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Systems, 2002]

* [http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/ICPADS.1998.741145 T.H. MacKenzie, T.I. Dix, "Object-Oriented Ease-Based Parallel Primitives in C++," icpads, p. 623, 1998 International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Systems (ICPADS'98), 1998]

[[Category:Programming languages]]

[[Category:Concurrent programming languages]]

[[Category:Parallel computing]]

[[Category:Concurrency control]]

[[Category:Programming language topics]]