Systems Programming Languages

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter states the rationale for systems programming languages, enumerates criteria for judging them, subjects existing systems programming languages to close scrutiny, and describes an extensible language currently being implemented which is addressed specifically to our criteria. This chapter includes the design and implementation of production systems, particularly in the areas of interactive computer graphics, time sharing, operating systems, information retrieval, and software paging. Before proceeding to justify systems programming languages and to enumerate their characteristics, attempts are made to define them. This chapter discusses the various criteria for a systems programming language, such as target code efficiency, run-time environment, error checking, debugging facilities, syntax considerations, adaptability, program modularity, machine dependence, multiple-user systems, and other miscellaneous criteria. The next section lists the specific facilities needed by programmers for implementation of systems, which will function nearly as efficiently as if hand-coded in assembler language. Four systems programming languages are summarized in the next section. The descriptions demonstrate the facilities of the languages measured against a certain criteria listed. Each description is divided into the following sections: data attributes, program segmentation, control statements, data manipulation facilities, I/0 (Input/Output) and debugging facilities, macro facilities, and trouble spots. The reasons for providing this type of systems programming language and a brief description of extensibility mechanisms are presented next. The Extensible Language for Systems Development (Extensible LSD) attempts to provide the systems programmer with a programming environment that will significantly reduce the effort required to produce a system, without impairing the effectiveness of the final result. Data-type extensibility and syntax macros are both implemented. Furthermore, the programmer is provided with compile-time facilities that will allow him to access compile-time functions and variables in order to create efficient syntactic extensions.