CHAIMS: Mega-Programming Research

6/22/98

Abstract:

The CHAIMS project has the goal to investigate and develop a language and a system for high-level composition of large software modules. We assume such modules to be distributed, accessible over different distribution protocols like CORBA, RMI, DCE or DCOM. This heterogeneity has to be dealt with by the CHAIMS system, hidden from the application programmer doing composition. Having large distributed modules also gives potential for optimization: modules can execute in parallel, and data can be exchanged directly between modules. Instead of burdening the application programmer with coding complex client software, we delegate these tasks to the CHAIMS system. The application programmer composes modules by using the CHAIMS megaprogramming language, a purely compositional language that hides protocol and optimization details from the user, yet offers a variety of new primitives. These allow to set up module interfaces prior to repeated execution, request performance estimates from modules prior to their invocation, schedule modules in parallel, monitor execution of invoked modules, interrupt inadequately performing modules, and provide data and meta-information. In spite of these elements the language remains simple as it focuses only on the composition of large modules.