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Parallel implementation of functional languages

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Analysis and Verification of Multiple-Agent Languages (LOMAPS 1996)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1192))

Abstract

Great hopes in the exploitation of the (implicit) parallelism inherent in functional programs have driven a number of projects. General frustration resulted wherever implementations on distributed memory machines were attempted. The grain size of potentially parallel tasks is too small to amortize the enormous costs of the necessary communication. The management of the parallelism is expensive. Decision making in the network operating system suffers from the fact, that most parameters such as the number of potentially parallel tasks and their execution times are dynamic.

This article tries to summarise the state of the art in the parallel implementation of functional languages, to give reasons why attempts have failed to show performance, and argues why this will probably remain so. Similar arguments will hold for other declarative languages and mechanisms with implicit fine grain parallelism such as logic and constraint languages.

Research supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, SFB 124-VLSI Design Methods and Parallelism

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Author notes

  1. M. Raber

    Present address: Metalevel Software, Saarbrücken

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fachbereich 14 Informatik, Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken

    R. Wilhelm, M. Alt, F. Martin & M. Raber

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  1. R. Wilhelm
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  2. M. Alt
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  3. F. Martin
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  4. M. Raber
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Mads Dam

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© 1997 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Wilhelm, R., Alt, M., Martin, F., Raber, M. (1997). Parallel implementation of functional languages. In: Dam, M. (eds) Analysis and Verification of Multiple-Agent Languages. LOMAPS 1996. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1192. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-62503-8_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-62503-8_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-62503-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-68052-9

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