A Parallel Logic Language: MMLOP

Abstract

In this chapter, a language based on logic is sketched which aims at an expression of the various categories of parallelism described before. Corresponding to two major sources of parallelism, problem-induced and execution-oriented, this language offers two classes of constructs to express parallelism: modules and meta-evaluation. Modules aim at an appropriate description of problems which can be decomposed into relatively independent units of computation; meta-evaluation allows for a proper expression of knowledge about the evaluation and execution of logic programs. The combination of these two basic concepts and their integration into the first order logic language Lop leads to a framework for parallel programming suitable for high-level specification and low-level coding of parallel problems. It unifies the declarative character of logic programming with fundamental concepts necessary for parallel programming.