Von Neumann programming languages
Encyclopedia
A von Neumann language is any of those programming language
s that are high-level abstract isomorphic
copies of von Neumann architecture
s . As of 2009, most current programming languages fit into this description, likely as a consequence of the extensive domination of the von Neumann computer architecture during the past 50 years .
The differences between Fortran
, C
, and even Java
, although considerable, are ultimately constrained by all three being based on the programming style of the von Neumann computer . If, for example, Java objects were all executed in parallel with asynchronous message passing and attribute-based declarative addressing, then Java would not be in the group.
The isomorphism between von Neumann programming languages and architectures is in the following manner:
, assignment statements in von Neumann languages split programming into two worlds. The first world consists of expressions, an orderly mathematical space
with potentially useful algebraic properties: most computation takes place here. The second world consists of statements, a disorderly mathematical space with few useful mathematical properties (structured programming
can be seen as a limited heuristic
that does apply in this space, though).
Backus claimed that there exists now in computer science
a vicious cycle where the long standing emphasis on von Neumann languages has continued the primacy of the von Neumann computer architecture, and dependency on it has made non-von Neumann languages uneconomical and thus limited their further development: the lack of widely available and effective non-von Neumann languages has deprived computer designers of the motivation and the intellectual foundation needed to develop new computer architectures.
Some examples of non-von Neumann languages are: APL, FP
, FL, J
, Lucid, NGL, ZPL, Mercury, and Plankalkül
.
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
s that are high-level abstract isomorphic
Isomorphism
In abstract algebra, an isomorphism is a mapping between objects that shows a relationship between two properties or operations. If there exists an isomorphism between two structures, the two structures are said to be isomorphic. In a certain sense, isomorphic structures are...
copies of von Neumann architecture
Von Neumann architecture
The term Von Neumann architecture, aka the Von Neumann model, derives from a computer architecture proposal by the mathematician and early computer scientist John von Neumann and others, dated June 30, 1945, entitled First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC...
s . As of 2009, most current programming languages fit into this description, likely as a consequence of the extensive domination of the von Neumann computer architecture during the past 50 years .
The differences between Fortran
Fortran
Fortran is a general-purpose, procedural, imperative programming language that is especially suited to numeric computation and scientific computing...
, C
C (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
, and even Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
, although considerable, are ultimately constrained by all three being based on the programming style of the von Neumann computer . If, for example, Java objects were all executed in parallel with asynchronous message passing and attribute-based declarative addressing, then Java would not be in the group.
The isomorphism between von Neumann programming languages and architectures is in the following manner:
- program variables ↔ computer storage cells
- control statements ↔ computer test-and-jump instructions
- assignment statements ↔ fetching, storing instructions
- expressions ↔ memory reference and arithmetic instructions
Criticism
Using a metaphor from John BackusJohn Backus
John Warner Backus was an American computer scientist. He directed the team that invented the first widely used high-level programming language and was the inventor of the Backus-Naur form , the almost universally used notation to define formal language syntax.He also did research in...
, assignment statements in von Neumann languages split programming into two worlds. The first world consists of expressions, an orderly mathematical space
Mathematical space
In mathematics, a space is a set with some added structure.Mathematical spaces often form a hierarchy, i.e., one space may inherit all the characteristics of a parent space...
with potentially useful algebraic properties: most computation takes place here. The second world consists of statements, a disorderly mathematical space with few useful mathematical properties (structured programming
Structured programming
Structured programming is a programming paradigm aimed on improving the clarity, quality, and development time of a computer program by making extensive use of subroutines, block structures and for and while loops - in contrast to using simple tests and jumps such as the goto statement which could...
can be seen as a limited heuristic
Heuristic
Heuristic refers to experience-based techniques for problem solving, learning, and discovery. Heuristic methods are used to speed up the process of finding a satisfactory solution, where an exhaustive search is impractical...
that does apply in this space, though).
Backus claimed that there exists now in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
a vicious cycle where the long standing emphasis on von Neumann languages has continued the primacy of the von Neumann computer architecture, and dependency on it has made non-von Neumann languages uneconomical and thus limited their further development: the lack of widely available and effective non-von Neumann languages has deprived computer designers of the motivation and the intellectual foundation needed to develop new computer architectures.
Some examples of non-von Neumann languages are: APL, FP
FP (programming language)
FP is a programming language created by John Backus to support the function-level programming paradigm...
, FL, J
J (programming language)
The J programming language, developed in the early 1990s by Kenneth E. Iverson and Roger Hui, is a synthesis of APL and the FP and FL function-level languages created by John Backus....
, Lucid, NGL, ZPL, Mercury, and Plankalkül
Plankalkül
Plankalkül is a computer language designed for engineering purposes by Konrad Zuse between 1943 and 1945. It was the first high-level non-von Neumann programming language to be designed for a computer. Also, notes survive with scribblings about such a plan calculation dating back to 1941...
.