Research Seminar - April 20, 1999

Abstract

Dataflow computation models enable simpler and more efficient management of the memory hierarchy - a key barrier to the performance of many parallel programs.

This seminar describes a dataflow language based on Java. Using the dataflow model, explicit message passing and synchronisation constructs become unnecessary - a programmer simply keeps the dataflow firing rule in mind as the program is constructed. Dataflow Java uses a few simple extensions to standard Java: a pre-processor converts the Dataflow Java program to standard portable Java. We will describe how Java's object model has been exploited to keep the run-time system simple and efficient.