ParaSail (programming language)

ParaSail is a special kind of computer language designed to help programmers write code that can run on many computers at the same time. This is known as parallel programming, which makes tasks faster by sharing the work among several processors.

ParaSail is different from other languages because it does not use pointers, which are like addresses that tell the computer where to find data. Instead, it uses a system where objects can change size and values are copied when needed. This helps avoid mistakes and makes the code easier to manage.

The idea for ParaSail started in September 2009 by S. Tucker Taft. Today, there are tools available to run ParaSail code, including an interpreter and a compiler that turns ParaSail code into instructions computers can follow. These tools help make sure the code runs smoothly and efficiently.

Description

The syntax of ParaSail is similar to Modula, but it uses a class-and-interface-based object-oriented programming model, much like Java or C#.

Recently, ParaSail’s parallel features have been used to create new languages that look like Java, Python, and Ada. These new languages are called Javallel, Parython, and Sparkel. Tools to run these languages come with the ParaSail system.

Examples

Here is a simple "Hello, World" program written in ParaSail:

func Hello_World(var IO) is
    IO.Println("Hello, World");
end func Hello_World;

ParaSail also lets you create and use modules, like a basic map module. Below is an interface and a possible implementation of this map module using a binary tree structure. The module allows you to add, find, and delete items in the map, and also count how many items are stored.

Here is a test program that uses the map module. It adds, searches for, and deletes some items to show how the map works.