A Virtual Machine for a Process Calculus

Abstract. Despite extensive theoretical work on process-calculi, virtual machine specifications and implementations of actual computational models are still scarce. This paper presents a virtual machine for a strongly typed, polymorphic, concurrent, object-oriented programming language based on the TyCO process calculus. The system runs byte-code files, assembled from an intermediate assembly language representation, which is in turn generated by a compiler. Code optimizations are provided by the compiler coupled with a type-inference system. The design and implementation of the virtual machine focuses on performance, compactness, and architecture independence with a view to mobile computing. The assembly code emphasizes readability and efficient byte code generation. The byte code has a simple layout and is a compromise between size and performance. We present some performance results and compare them to other languages such as Pict, Oz, and JoCaml.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1999
• Where: PPDP
• Authors: Luís M. B. Lopes, Fernando M. A. Silva, Vasco Thudichum Vasconcelos
• Keywords: Byte Code, PPDP 1999, Programming Languages, Virtual Machine, Virtual Machine Specifications