Skip to main content

The Semantics and Syntax of Update Schemes

  • Conference paper
Code Generation — Concepts, Tools, Techniques

Part of the book series: Workshops in Computing ((WORKSHOPS COMP.))

Abstract

Update schemes are a high level formalism for specifying low level activities, such as the semantics of machine level operations. Update schemes have well defined denotational semantics and simple intuitive operational semantics. They also have a great deal of similarity to low level code. This combination makes it possible to give formal specifications of low level activities.

A compiler for update schemes is under development, and a prototype has been completed. This has been applied to a specification of an abstract machine for a simple functional language.

This paper presents the syntax and semantics, both formal and informal, of update schemes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Fairbairn J, Wray S. Tim: A simple, lazy abstract machine to execute supercombinators. In Kahn G (ed), Functional Programming Languages and Computer Architecture: Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 274. Springer Verlag, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Warren DHD. An abstract Prolog instruction set. Technical Report 309, Artificial Intelligence Center, SRI International, Menlo Park, California, USA, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Lock HC. An abstract machine for the implementation of functional logic programming languages. Technical report, ESPRIT Basic Research Action No. 3147 (the Phoenix Project), 1990. Draft version.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Peyton Jones SL, Salkild J. The spineless tagless G-machine. University College, London, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Koopman P. Functional Programs as Executable Specifications. PhD thesis, University of Nijmegen, Toeruooiveld 1, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Siewiorek DP, Bell CG, Newell A. Computer Structures: Principles and Examples. Computer Science Series. McGraw-Hill, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Aho AV, Sethi R, Ullman JD. Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools. Addison-Wesley, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Meijer H. Programmar: A Translator Generator. PhD thesis, University of Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Osborne HR. Update plans. In Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. IEEE Computer Society Press, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Implementation of CLEAN on MAC II-fx, see [11].

    Google Scholar 

  11. van Eekelen M. Parallel Graph Rewriting. PhD thesis, University of Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1992 Springer-Verlag London

About this paper

Cite this paper

Osborne, H. (1992). The Semantics and Syntax of Update Schemes. In: Giegerich, R., Graham, S.L. (eds) Code Generation — Concepts, Tools, Techniques. Workshops in Computing. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3501-2_12

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3501-2_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-19757-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-3501-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics