Computer Science Seminar Series

Abstract

In this talk we present a new style of functional programming, called Task Oriented Programming (TOP). TOP is specially designed to support the development of distributed multi-user, multi-platform, web-based applications. Special about TOP is that is allows programmers to focus on the tasks the application has to support, without worrying about the technical details needed for the realization. One specifies, on a very high level of abstraction, the tasks to be performed, their interrelations, who may work on it, as well as the data dependencies between the tasks. From such a specification, a distributed client-server system is generated. Servers coordinate the work thus described. Web-clients and apps are generated with appropriate user interfaces for doing the work. All data communication and synchronization between the parties involved is handled automatically. The iTask system is an implementation of TOP. It offers TOP as an Embedded Domain Specific Language embedded in the pure Haskell-like functional language Clean. From one source code, code for servers, clients, browsers, apps, and the Internet of Things are generated. Application areas we are working on are: Command and Control systems for the Dutch Navy, Search and Rescue support and Situation Alerts for the Dutch Coast Guard, Home Care Systems, and Tax Office applications.

Bio

Rinus Plasmeijer started his PhD in Computer Science in 1977 in Nijmegen, and when he graduated in 1981 he helped to start the Computer Science department and studies at this university. He became full professor in Software Technology at the Radboud University Nijmegen in 1995. Plasmeijer is one of the pioneers in the research on Functional Programming and published over 300 papers in this area. He is the chief designer of Clean, a Haskell-like pure functional programming language well known from its special features, such as uniqueness typing, and the excellent code generated by the compiler. In 2008 he became Doctor and Professor Honoris Causa at the Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary. His current interest is Task Oriented Programming, a special flavour of Functional Programming for developing distributed multi-user systems on a very high level of abstraction.

Host: Sven-Bodo Scholz

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