On the Meaning of Names in Programming Systems

It is assumed that there is a similarity of
function between the data names of a programming 
language and the file names of an operating system.
 The two functions are discussed in terms of the 
same basic concepts in order to identify the extent
to which they overlap. It is suggested that there 
is some similarity between the idea of a file directory
and a storable object of type context.  Manipulations 
with contexts are then discussed at length.  It is noted
that there is a simple extension of Church's 
Lambda notation that deals nicely with these ideas of
context manipulation.  Whereas a function can be 
regarded as the abstraction based upon the first two terms of
the expression Lambda(name list)(expression)(value list), 
it is found that a context can be viewed as an abstraction
based upon the first two terms in the equivalent 
expression Mu(name list)(value list)(expression).

CACM July, 1971

Fraser, A. G.

file, operating system, programming language, functions,
names, context, file directory, file dictionary, 
lambda calculus, theory of programming

3.73 4.22 4.39 5.23 5.24

CA710606 JB February 3, 1978  9:58 AM

2184	5	2184
2184	5	2184
2184	5	2184