Atom (programming language): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:42, 12 May 2010

Revision as of 05:52, 24 July 2010

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| name = Atom

| logo =

| paradigm = [[functional programming|functional]], [[Synchronous_programming_languageSynchronous programming language|synchronous]], [[Reactive_programmingReactive programming|reactive]]

| year = 2007

| designer = Thomas Hawkins

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| dialects =

| influenced =

| influenced_by = [[Bluespec, Inc.|Bluespec]], Confluence, [[Haskell_Haskell (programming_languageprogramming language)|Haskell]]

| operating_system = portable

| license = [[Bsd_licenseBsd license|BSD3]]

| website = http://hackage.haskell.org/package/atom/

| file ext =

}}

'''Atom''' is a [[___domain-specific language]] (DSL) in [[Haskell_Haskell (programming_languageprogramming language)|Haskell]], for designing [[Real-time_computingtime computing|real-time]] [[Embedded_programmingEmbedded programming|embedded]] software.

== History ==

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Inspired by TRS <ref name="hoe1">[http://www.ece.cmu.edu/~jhoe/distribution/2000/iccad00.pdf Synthesis of Operation-Centric Hardware Descriptions].

James C. Hoe and Arvind. International Conference on Computer Aided Design (ICCAD), November 2000.</ref>

and [[Bluespec]], Atom compiled circuit descriptions based on guarded atomic operations, or [[Term_Rewriting_System|Term Rewriting System|conditional term rewriting]], into [[Verilog]] [[netlist|netlists]]s for simulation and [[logic synthesis]].

As a hardware compiler, Atom's primary objective was to maximize the number of operations, or rules, that could execute in a given clock cycle without violating the semantics of atomic operation.

Based on the properties of conflict-free and sequentially-composable rules<ref name="hoe1"/>, Atom's author reduced maximizing execution concurrency to a [[feedback arc set]] optimization of a rule-data dependency graphgraph—a process similar, if not equivalent to James Hoe's original algorithm<ref name="hoe1" />. --

a process similar, if not equivalent to James Hoe's original algorithm<ref name="hoe1" />.

When Atom's author switched careers in late 2007 from logic design to [[Embedded_systemsEmbedded systems|embedded software]] engineering, Atom was redesign from an [[hardware description language|HDL]] to a [[___domain specific language]]

targeting [[Realtime_computingRealtime computing|hard realtime]] embedded applications. As a result, Atom's compiler's primary objective changed from maximizing rule concurrency to balancing processing load and minimizing

[[Worst_case_execution_timeWorst case execution time|worse case timing latency]]. In September 2008, Atom was presented at CUFP<ref>[http://cufp.galois.com/2008/schedule.html Controlling Hybrid Vehicles with Haskell.]</ref>,

and in April 2009, was released as open-source in its new form.<ref>[http://www.haskell.org/pipermail/haskell-cafe/2009-April/060602.html ANN: atom-0.0.2]</ref>

== Overview ==

Atom is a concurrent programming language intended for embedded applications. Atom features [[Compile time|compile-time]] [[Scheduling (computing)|task scheduling]] and generates code with deterministic execution time and memory consumption, simplifying [[worst case execution time]] analysis for applications that require [[Realtime_computingRealtime computing|hard realtime]] performance. Atom's concurrency model is that of [[Atomic action|guarded atomic actions]], which eliminates the need for, and the [[Lock_(computer_science)#The_problems_with_locks|problems]] of using, [[Lock_Lock (computer_sciencecomputer science)|mutex locks]].

By removing [[Run time (computing)|run-time]] task scheduling and mutex locking -- twolocking—two services traditionally served by an [[Real-time operating system|RTOS]] -- Atom can eliminate the need and overhead of an [[Real-time operating system|RTOS]] in embedded applications.

== Examples ==

{{Empty section|date=July 2010}}

== Limitations ==

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[[Category:Declarative programming languages]]

[[Category:Embedded_systemsEmbedded systems]]

[[Category:Functional languages]]

[[Category:Real-time_computingtime computing]]

[[Category:Synchronous_programming_languagesSynchronous programming languages]]