Higher Order Communication Processes with Value-Passing, Assignment and Return of Results

Abs t rac t . Our intent in this paper is to present a denotational model that supports both data and concurrency description. Data can be pure (concurrency free data such as literals) or processes. Concurrency is supported through processes that may communicate data and thus possibly processes through channels. Processes are thus sa~d:higher order communicating processes. Functions axe considered as processes that take their parameters, access some store~ communicate on some channels and return some result. The model can be viewed as an extension of the VPLA language (Value-Passing Language with Assignment) proposed initially by Hennessy, thus an extended CCS without v's version for handling input, output, communication, assignment and return of results. Furthermore a semantics for a useful set of combinators is defined. A significant subgoal is to investigate the algebraic properties of the model.