Extending the HOOPLA type system

Abstract

HOOPLA (Higher-Order Object-based Programming Language) is an experimental programming language inspired by Milner's higher order reflexive action calculi. The language expresses a form of asynchronous reactive computation where concurrency is the point of departure. This language also aspires to provide a simple and intuitive paradigm of software construction that is scalable, safe and amenable to mathematical analysis. This report documents a project that consisted in extending a rudimentary compiler which handled the primitive constructs of the HOOPLA language. The preliminary task entailed documenting this initial artifact and correcting a number of flaws. Central to the project was the extension of the HOOPLA type system with types and constructs that augment expressiveness according to the aims that the language set out to address.