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The Power of Higher-Order Composition Languages in System Design
Adam Cataldo

Citation
Adam Cataldo. "The Power of Higher-Order Composition Languages in System Design". PhD thesis, University of California, Berkeley, December, 2006.

Abstract
This dissertation shows the power of higher-order composition languages in system design. In order to formalize this, I develop an abstract syntax for composition languages and two calculi. The first calculus serves as a framework for composition languages without higher-order components. The second is a framework for higher-order composition languages. I prove there exist classes of systems whose specification in a higher-order composition language is drastically more succinct than it could ever be in a non-higher-order composition language.

To justify the calculus, I use it as a semantic domain for a simple higher-order composition language. I use it to reason about higher-order components in this more practical language and use n-level clock distribution networks as a class of systems whose description must grow exponentially in a non-higher order composition language, but whose description grows linearly with n in a higher-order composition language.

As a prototype higher-order composition language, I developed the Ptalon programming language for Ptolemy II. I explain how components can be built in Ptalon, and I give several examples of models built as a higher-order components in this language. These examples span several domains in system design: control theory, signal processing, and distributed systems.

Unlike functional languages, where higher-order functions are infused with a program's execution semantics, the ability to provide scalable higher-order mechanism is completely separated from execution semantics in higher-order composition languages. As a design technique, higher-order composition languages can be used to provide extremely scalable system descriptions.

Electronic downloads

Citation formats  
  • HTML
    Adam Cataldo. <a
    href="http://chess.eecs.berkeley.edu/pubs/304.html"
    ><i>The Power of Higher-Order Composition Languages
    in System Design</i></a>, PhD thesis, 
    University of California, Berkeley, December, 2006.
  • Plain text
    Adam Cataldo. "The Power of Higher-Order Composition
    Languages in System Design". PhD thesis,  University of
    California, Berkeley, December, 2006.
  • BibTeX
    @phdthesis{Cataldo06_PowerOfHigherOrderCompositionLanguagesInSystemDesign,
        author = {Adam Cataldo},
        title = {The Power of Higher-Order Composition Languages in
                  System Design},
        school = {University of California, Berkeley},
        month = {December},
        year = {2006},
        abstract = {This dissertation shows the power of higher-order
                  composition languages in system design. In order
                  to formalize this, I develop an abstract syntax
                  for composition languages and two calculi. The
                  first calculus serves as a framework for
                  composition languages without higher-order
                  components. The second is a framework for
                  higher-order composition languages. I prove there
                  exist classes of systems whose specification in a
                  higher-order composition language is drastically
                  more succinct than it could ever be in a
                  non-higher-order composition language. <p>To
                  justify the calculus, I use it as a semantic
                  domain for a simple higher-order composition
                  language. I use it to reason about higher-order
                  components in this more practical language and use
                  n-level clock distribution networks as a class of
                  systems whose description must grow exponentially
                  in a non-higher order composition language, but
                  whose description grows linearly with n in a
                  higher-order composition language. <p>As a
                  prototype higher-order composition language, I
                  developed the Ptalon programming language for
                  Ptolemy II. I explain how components can be built
                  in Ptalon, and I give several examples of models
                  built as a higher-order components in this
                  language. These examples span several domains in
                  system design: control theory, signal processing,
                  and distributed systems. <p>Unlike functional
                  languages, where higher-order functions are
                  infused with a program's execution semantics, the
                  ability to provide scalable higher-order mechanism
                  is completely separated from execution semantics
                  in higher-order composition languages. As a design
                  technique, higher-order composition languages can
                  be used to provide extremely scalable system
                  descriptions.},
        URL = {http://chess.eecs.berkeley.edu/pubs/304.html}
    }
    

Posted by Christopher Brooks on 7 Jun 2007.
Groups: ptolemy
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