Demand-driven interpretation of FP programs on a data-flow multiprocessor

Presents a demand-driven evaluation system for list-structure language systems, using the functional language FP. It enables execution in a data-driven environment. A formal approach for transforming FP programs into lazy programs, which contain the notion of demands, is used. The superset language of FP is called DFP (demand-driven FP). A demand reduction scheme is used to remove unnecessary demand propagations on DFP programs to reduce run-time overhead. The DFP programs are translated into data-flow graphs according to the graph schemata developed from the FP-DFP transformation rules. The execution characteristics of the DFP graphs are identified and the architecture supports for efficient execution are suggested. The system allows programming in FP by infinite data structures and the application of partial-function-value evaluation. Examples of these applications are used to demonstrate the transformation process, the principles of run-time interpretation, the effectiveness of the transformation, and the power of the evaluation system