A Language-based Approach to Unifying Events and Threads - Li and Zdancewic, 2006 So far in this mini-series we've seen that thread and event-based models are duals, that threads are a bad idea - you should really be using events, and that events are a bad idea - you should really be using threads. What … Continue reading A language-based approach to unifying events and threads
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Why events are a bad idea
Why events are a bad idea (for high concurrency servers) - von Behren et al. 2003 Amongst the authors of this paper you'll also find Eric Brewer, of CAP-theorem fame. This is part 3 of a mini-series on thread-based vs event-based programming models. In part 1 we saw the argument that they are equivalent. Despite … Continue reading Why events are a bad idea
Why threads are a bad idea
Why threads are a bad idea (for most purposes) - Ousterhout 1995 Today is part 2 of 5 in a week dedicated to threads and events. Yesterday we saw the argument from Lauer and Needham that thread-based and event-based models are equivalent (duals). Despite that, Oustehout would have you believe that threads are a bad … Continue reading Why threads are a bad idea
On the duality of operating system structures
On the Duality of Operating System Structures - Lauer and Needham, 1978 The pendulum currently says "threads and locks are bad, events are good." Vigourous defences are mounted in favour of one system over the other, and manifestos are written. Nowadays this debate rages over the best way to build applications and frameworks, but it … Continue reading On the duality of operating system structures
Tachyon: Reliable, Memory Speed Storage for Cluster Computing
Tachyon: Reliable, Memory Speed Storage for Cluster Computing Frameworks - Li et al. 2014 Data processing can often be naturally expressed as a sequence of steps in a pipeline. For example, the unix command line below that pipes a file through a series of transforms to ultimately generate some output. cat Fin.csv | a | … Continue reading Tachyon: Reliable, Memory Speed Storage for Cluster Computing
Photon: Fault-tolerant and scalable joining of continuous data streams
Photon: Fault-tolerant and scalable joining of continuous data streams - Google 2013 To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to formulate and solve the problem of joining multiple streams continuously under these system constraints: exactly-once semantics, fault-tolerance at datacenter-level, high scalability, low latency, unordered streams, and delayed primary stream. It's interesting … Continue reading Photon: Fault-tolerant and scalable joining of continuous data streams
The 8 Requirements of Real-Time Stream Processing
The 8 Requirements of Real-Time Stream Processing - Stonebraker et al. 2005 Applications that require real-time processing of high-volume data streams are pushing the limits of data processing infrastructures. Stonebraker et al. make the case in 2005 that stream processing is going to become increasingly important. Not just for the usual finance, fraud, and command-and-control … Continue reading The 8 Requirements of Real-Time Stream Processing
The case for distributed operating systems in the data center
New wine in old skins: the case for distributed operating systems in the data center - Schwarzkopf et al. 2013. I attended the New Directions in Operating Systems one-day event in London last week, and came away with the impression that the beginning of the end of the traditional operating system is in sight. Today's … Continue reading The case for distributed operating systems in the data center
Protocols for Secure Computations
Protocols for Secure Computations - Yao 1982. Alice and Bob both work in retail, but for different retailers. Alice knows how much profit her company made on Black Friday, and Bob knows how much profit his company made. Alice bets Bob her company did better than his. Neither of them can disclose company confidential information … Continue reading Protocols for Secure Computations
The Semantic Elegance of Applicative Languages
The Semantic Elegance of Applicative Languages - Turner '81. Here's a paper you can enjoy simply for its prose! In what does the alleged superiority of applicative languages consist? In what indeed! And while we're at it, what's an applicative language? I looked up a few definitions; if we call it a functional language I … Continue reading The Semantic Elegance of Applicative Languages
the morning paper 