ACTOR SYSTEMS FOR REAL-TIME COMPUTATION
Henry G. Baker · DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) · 1978
Actor theory was invented by Hewitt and collaborators as a synthesis of many of the ideas from the high-level languages LISP, GEDANKEN, SMALLTALK, SIMULA-67 and others. Actor theory consists of a group of active objects called ACTORS, which communicate by passing messages to one another. This thesis explores several problems associated with implementing Actor theory as a basis for computer system design. First, we give a firmer foundation to the theory by setting forth axioms which must be satisfied by any physically realizable message-passing system. We then give an operational semantics for this theory by exhibiting an interpreter which is a concrete model for the theory. Thirdly, we explore the implementation questions of mapping this conceptual system onto current hardware in such a way that simple primitive operations all take a (small) bounded amount of time. In particular, the issues of storage and processor management are investigated and a real-time incremental garbage system for both is exhibited and analyzed. (Author)