Multi-lingual threading

Multiple threads of execution within a single address space provide concurrency in a structured and simple way. The paper describes how threads can cross language boundaries, i.e. can be shared by components written in different languages within a single application (multilingual threading). The advantage is that each component can be written in the language which is most suitable for it and benefit from multithreading. Our approach to multilingual threading is implemented in youtoo. The youtoo system supports the creation of multithreaded stand alone applications from interlinked EuLisp and C modules. Depending on the platform, multithreading is based on the POSIX kindred UI (UNIX International), PPCR (POSIX Portable Common Runtime) or MIT thread library. We show that multilingual threading is particularly fruitful when higher level and lower level languages, like Lisp and C, are combined.