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

• http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2006/EECS-2006-189.html

• 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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