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Cecil

Language type:

O - Object-oriented

Description:

Cecil is a pure object-oriented programming language developed at the University of Washington. Cecil was designed as part of the larger Vortex project at UW, and it is intended to provide a framework in which large, extensible software systems can be developed more easily. Some other goals of the project are orthagonality, efficiency, and ease-of-use.
The Cecil language is based on a simple object model that supports multiple inheritance and multi-methods, dynamic inheritance, and optional static type checking. Unlike most OOP systems, Cecil allows subtyping and code inheritance to be used separately, thus allowing run-time or external extension of object classes or instances. Like Objective-C, all object services in Cecil are invoked by message passing, and the language supports run-time class identification. These features allow Cecil to support dynamic, exploratory programming styles. Parameterized types and methods (generics, polymorphism), garbage collection, and delegation are also supported.
Cecil also supports a module mechanism for isolation of independent libraries or packages. Cecil does not presently support threads or any other form of concurrency.
A standard library for Cecil is also part of the project, it includes various collection, utility, system, I/O, and GUI classes.<
The latest version of the Cecil language definition is 2.1, dated 3/97. Cecil currently runs on Unix and Linux systems.

Origin:

Craig Chambers, 1992.

See Also:

CLOS    Java    BETA    C++    Eiffel    Modula-3    Objective-C    Dylan   

Remarks:

Cecil has served as a research vehicle for object-oriented programming techniques and for compilation techniques for dynamic object-oriented languages. The Vortex compilation system handles Cecil, a subset of Java, C++, and Modula-3. It's interesting to note that Vortex Version 2 is bootstrapped - the compiler is written in Cecil.
Cecil/Vortex is a research vehicle, it is not clear whether the Cecil language will ever be well-suited for production application programming.
It is also interesting to note that the official documentation for Cecil does not seem to include a single example program.

Sample code:

-- Adapted from Cecil Project v2.0 distribution tests

method copy_file_using_streams(name1@:string, name2@:string):void {
    let f1:unix_file := open_file(name1, open_for_reading);
    let f2:unix_file := open_file(name2, create_for_writing);
 
    (name1 || " is " || if(f1.is_unreadable, {"not "}, {""}) || "readable").
        print_line;
    (name2 || " is " || if(f2.is_unreadable, {"not "}, {""}) || "readable").
        print_line;
 
    while({ f1.before_end }, { f2.next := f1.next; });
    close(f1);
    close(f2);
}
 
let var name1 := ask("Name of input file: ");
let var name2 := ask("Name of output file: ");

print("Copying using streams...");
copy_file_using_streams(name1, name2);
print_line(" done.");

Descriptions in this dictionary are ©1997-99 Neal Ziring. Some examples copyright of their respective authors. Some technologies and languages are trademarked. Permission to copy descriptions is granted as long as authorship credit is preserved.

Comments on this dictionary, corrections and suggestions, are all welcome. Please use email, the address is ziring@home.com