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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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