Data Flow Computing: Theory and Practice

There is an increasing interest in data flow programming techniques. This interest is motivated in part by the rapid advances in technology (and the need for distributed processing techniques), in part by a desire for faster throughput by applying parallel processing techniques, and in part by search for a programming tool that is closer to the problem solving methods that people naturally adopts rather than current programming languages. This book contains a selection of chapters by researchers on various aspects of the data flow approach in computing. Topics covered include: comparisons of various data flow machine designs, data flow architectures, intentional programming and operator nets, and the relationship between data flow models and modern structured design techniques, among others. The book also includes a brief introduction to the data flow approach, a bibliography, and reviews of where research into data flow might be heading.