Skip to main content

Abstract

This paper discusses the use of the term “hierarchically structured” to describe the design of operating systems. Although the various uses of this term are often considered to be closely related, close examination of the use of the term shows that it has a number of quite different meanings. For example, one can find two different senses of “hierarchy” in a single operating system [3] and [6]. An understanding of the different meanings of the term is essential, if a designer wishes to apply recent work in Software Engineering and Design Methodology. This paper attempts to provide such an understanding.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Wulf, Cohen, Coowin, Jones, Levin, Pierson, Pol lach, Hydra: The Kernel of a Multiprogramming System, Technical Report, Computer Science Department, Carnegie-Mellon University.

    Google Scholar 

  2. David L. Parnas, Information Distribution Aspects of Design Methodology, Proceedings of the 1971 IFIP Congress, Booklet TA/3, 26-30.

    Google Scholar 

  3. E.W. Dijkstral The Structure of the T.H.E. Multiprogramming System, Communications of the ACM, vol 11, no. 5, May 1968, 341–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. E. W Dijkstra, Complexity controlled by Hierarchical Ordering of Function and Variability, Software Engineering, NATO.

    Google Scholar 

  5. David L. Parnas, On the Criteria to be Used in Decomposing Systems into Modules, Communications of the ACM, vol. 15, no. 12, December 1972, 1053–1058.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. A.N. Habermann, On the Harmonious Cooperation of Abstract Machines, Doctoral Dissertation, Technische Hogeschool Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Edwin A. Abbott, Flatland, the Romance of Many Dimensions, Dover Publications, Inc., New York.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Per Brinch Hansen, The Nucleus of a Multiprogramming System, Communications of the ACM, vol, 13, no. 4, April 1970, 238–250.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  9. RC4000 Reference Manuals for the Operating System, Regnecentralen Denmark.

    Google Scholar 

  10. R.C. Varney, Process Selection in a Hierarchical Operating System, SIGOPS Operating Review, June 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  11. W. Wulf, C. Pierson, Private Discussions.

    Google Scholar 

  12. R. W. Graham, Protection in an Information Processing Utility, Communications of the ACM, May 1968.

    Google Scholar 

  13. W. R. Price and David L. Parnas, The Design of the Virtual Memory Aspects of a Virtual Machine, Proceedings of the SIGARCH-SIGOPS Workshop on Virtual Machines, March 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  14. W. R. Price, Doctoral Dissertation, Department of Computer Science, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S.A.

    Google Scholar 

  15. David L. Parnas and Darringer, SODAS and Methodology for System Design, Proceedings of 1967 FJCC.

    Google Scholar 

  16. David L. Parnas, More on Design Methodology and Simulation, Proceedings of the 1969 SJCC.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Zürcher and Randell, Iterative Multi-Level Modeling, Proceedings of the 1963 IFIP Congress.

    Google Scholar 

  18. F. T. Baker, System Quality through Structured Programming, Proceedings of the 1972 FJCC.

    Google Scholar 

  19. E. W. Dijkstra, A. N. Habermann, Private Dis-cussions.

    Google Scholar 

  20. David L. Parnas, Some Conclusions from an Experiment in Software Engineering, Proceedings of the 1972 FJCC.

    Google Scholar 

  21. E.W. Dijkstra, A Short Introduction to the Art of Programming, in O.-J. Dahl, E.W. Dijkstra, and C.A.R. Hoare, Structured Programming, Academic Press, New York, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2001 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Parnas, D.L. (2001). On a ‘Buzzword’: Hierarchical Structure. In: Broy, M., Denert, E. (eds) Pioneers and Their Contributions to Software Engineering. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-48354-7_21

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-48354-7_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-42290-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-48354-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics