"Concurrent Programming in ML" by John H. Reppy

The main focus of the book is on the practical use of concurrency to implement naturally concurrent applications. In addition to a tutorial introduction to programming in CML, this book presents three extended examples of using CML for systems programming: a parallel software build system, a simple concurrent window manager, and an implementation of distributed tuple spaces.

This book includes a chapter on the implementation of concurrency using features provided by the SML/NJ system and provides many examples of advanced SML programming techniques. The appendices include the CML reference manual and a formal semantics of CML.



Concurrent Programming in ML presents the language Concurrent ML (CML), which supports the union of two important programming models: concurrent programming and functional programming. CML is an extension of the functional language Standard ML (SML) and is included as part of the Standard ML of New Jersey (SML/NJ) distribution. CML supports the programming of process communication and synchronization using a unique higher-order concurrent programming mechanism which allows programmers to define their own communication and synchronization abstractions. This book is aimed at programmers and professional developers who want to use CML, as well as students, faculty, and other researchers.

• Designed for self-study
• Presents extended examples of complete applications, in particular a Windows system
• Includes formal semantics of CML and CML tutorial and reference manual

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Concepts in concurrent programming
3. An introduction to Concurrent ML
4. CML programming techniques
5. Synchronization and communication mechanisms
6. The rationale for CML
7. A software build system
8. A concurrent window system
9. A CML implementation of Linda
10. Implementing concurrency in SML/NJ
Appendix 1. CML reference manual
Appendix 2. The semantics of CML.