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1) GENERAL LINDA QUESTIONS
1.1) What is Linda?
Linda is a
coordination language consisting of a set of six operations. It is always built
on a base language, such as C or Fortran, so it doesn't require applications to
be completely
rewritten.
1.2) What is a tuple, and how is it
pronounced?
A tuple (pronounced "two' pull") is the fundamental Linda
data object. It consists of an ordered collection of typed data objects or place
holders, called elements.
1.3) What is a tuple space?
It
is a place where tuples live. A new tuple space is created for every Linda
program, and can be accessed by any process within a given Linda
program.
1.4) What is a virtual shared
memory?
It is a medium used to share data between different processes
on different machines without the need of physical shared memory. In the case of
Linda, it is called a tuple space.
1.5) Where is tuple space
stored?
That depends on the implementation, and it makes no
difference to the user's program. On shared memory machines, it is stored in
shared memory. In distributed memory machines, tuple space is distributed across
all the machines executing the Linda program.
1.6) Is Linda implemented simply as a
subroutine library?
No, it is implemented with a compiler since it is
language. This provides many advantages. Linda knows the size and type of all
data objects, so it doesn't require the user to provide that information when
creating tuples. It can also provide error checking not possible for a simple
library. It also performs various global optimizations.
1.7) When should I use lexit()
or lhalt()
? Should I ever use
exit()
?
Never use exit()
. It can cause CDS
Linda programs to hang. Using lexit()
or (flexit()
in
Fortran-Linda) is equivalent to doing a return from either
real_main()
or the eval'd
routine. It has no affect on
other Linda processes. Executing lhalt()
(or flhalt()
)
will cause all Linda processes to abort. It is useful for handling fatal
application errors.
1.8) What languages are
supported?
Currently, C-Linda, C++ Linda, and Fortran-Linda are
supported.
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