An Interpretive Model for a Language Based on Suspended Construction

Abstract

An interpreter for a purely applicative algorithmic language whose record constructor is based on suspended computation has been implemented in PASCAL on the CDC 6600. Suspended construction provides a model for the execution of algorithms in a multiprocessor environment without burdening the programmer with the scheduling of processes. The syntax of the language is presented and a detailed discussion of the implementation establishes the semantics of the language. The presence of suspensions in the system and the applicative control structure make possible the creation of nondeterministically ordered data structure.