2001 Reports

Compiling Concurrent Languages for Sequential Processors

Edwards, Stephen A.

Embedded systems often include a traditional processor capable of executing sequential code, but both control and data-dominated tasks are often more naturally expressed using one of the many domain-specific concurrent specification languages. This paper surveys a variety of techniques for translating these concurrent specifications into sequential code. The techniques address compiling a wide variety of languages, ranging from dataflow to Petri nets. Each uses a different technique, to some degree chosen to match the semantics of concurrent language. Each technique is considered to consist of a partial evaluator operating on an interpreter. This combination provides a clearer picture of how parts of each technique could be used in a different setting.