Communicating sequential processesIn computer science, communicating sequential processes (CSP) is a formal language for describing patterns of interaction in concurrent systems. It is a member of the family of mathematical theories of concurrency known as process algebras, or process calculi, based on message passing via channels.
Pascal (programming language)Pascal is an imperative and proceduralprogramming language, designed by Niklaus Wirth as a small, efficient language intended to encourage good programming practices using structured programming and data structuring. It is named after French mathematician, philosopher and physicist Blaise Pascal. Pascal was developed on the pattern of the ALGOL 60 language.
Imperative programmingIn computer science, imperative programming is a software programming paradigm that provides specific instructions for how computations should take place. This paradigm may use statements that may change a process’s state. In much the same way that the imperative mood in natural languages expresses commands, an imperative program consists of commands for the computer to perform.
Programming languageA programming language is an engineered language for expressing computer programs, typically allowing software to be written in a human readable manner. Execution of a program requires an implementation. There are two main approaches for implementing a programming language – compilation, where programs are translated ahead-of-time to machine code, and interpretation, where programs are directly executed.
Tony HoareSir Charles Antony Richard Hoare ( ; 11 January 1934 – 5 March 2026), known as Sir Tony Hoare or C. A. R. Hoare, was a British computer scientist who made foundational contributions to programming languages, algorithms, operating systems, formal verification, and concurrent computing. His work earned him the 1980 ACM Turing Award, usually regarded as the highest distinction in computer science. Hoare developed the sorting algorithmquicksort in 1959–1960.Procedural programmingProcedural programming is a programming paradigm, classified as imperative programming, that involves implementing the behavior of a computer program as procedures (a.k.a. functions, subroutines) that call each other. The resulting program is a series of steps that forms a hierarchy of calls to its constituent procedures. The first major procedural programming languages appeared c. 1957–1964, including Fortran, ALGOL, COBOL, PL/I and BASIC.David May (computer scientist)Michael David May (born 1951) is a British computer scientist working primarily in the fields of computer architecture, parallel computing and robotics. He is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bristol and founder of XMOS Semiconductor, serving until February 2014 as the chief technology officer. May was lead architect of the transputer, the first microprocessor designed for parallel and distributed computing.
Concurrent computingConcurrent computing is a form of computing in which several computations are executed concurrently—during overlapping time periods—instead of sequentially—with one completing before the next starts. This is a property of a system—whether a program, computer, or a network—where there is a separate execution point or "thread of control" for each process. A concurrent system is one where a computation can advance without waiting for all other computations to complete.
William of OckhamWilliam of Ockham or Occam ( ; Latin: Guillelmus de Ockham; c. 1287 – 9/10 April 1347) was an English Franciscan friar, scholasticphilosopher and theologian. He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought and was at the centre of the major intellectual and political controversies of the 14th century. The nominalists of the fifteenth century regarded him as one of the founders of their movement.Occam's razorPhilosophical problem-solving principleOccam's razor is attributed to William of Ockham, a Catholic priest and philosopher.In philosophy, Occam's razor (also spelled Ockham's razor or Ocham's razor; Latin: novacula Occami) is the problem-solving principle that recommends searching for explanations constructed with the smallest possible set of elements. It is also known as the principle of parsimony or the law of parsimony (Latin: lex parsimoniae).
InmosInmos International plc (trademark INMOS) and two operating subsidiaries, Inmos Limited (UK) and Inmos Corporation (US), was a British semiconductor company founded by Iann Barron, Richard Petritz, and Paul Schroeder in July 1978. Inmos Limited’s head office and design office were at Aztec West business park in Bristol, England.
TransputerThe transputer is a series of microprocessors from the 1980s, intended for parallel computing. To support this, each transputer had its own integrated memory and serial communication links to exchange data with other transputers. They were designed and produced by Inmos, a semiconductor company based in Bristol, United Kingdom. For some time in the late 1980s, many considered the transputer to be the next great design for the future of computing.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.