Communicative Data


agent | user agent | buffer | communication | message | sendable | contract | contents d | sender | receiver | serial

   
agent: a sort of datum. An agent identifies a potential process of performing an action, representing a piece of distributed processing. It is loosely-specified, as the maximum number and distribution of processes is usually implementation-dependent.
Each agent has its own buffer and storage. It is inactive until it accepts a contract to perform an action, whereafter it remains active for ever, even after the termination of the contracted action.

   
user-agent: a distinguished agent. It corresponds to the environment of a program, providing input and accepting output. The user agent is initially the only agent with a contract.

   
buffer: a sort of datum. A buffer is a list of messages sent to the same agent, in the order of their arrival.

   
communication: a sort of datum. Individual communications represent information that can be transmitted by agents. Communications have components indicating their sender, receiver, and contents. Moreover, each communication is distinguished by a serial number determined by the sender.

   
message: a subsort of communication. Messages can be sent directly from one agent to another.

   
sendable: a sort of data. The data that can be the contents of messages sent between agents. Left open, as it depends on the variety of permanent information processed by the programs of a programming language. (Specified to include abstraction and agent to allow proper use of subordinate Y.)

   
contract: a subsort of communication. Contracts can be offered by one agent to another (sort of) agent. The contents of a contract is the abstraction to be enacted by an agent accepting the contract.

   
contents d : data, where d is a communication. The data contained in d .

   
sender d : a datum, where d is a communication. The agent that sends d .

   
receiver d : a datum, where d is a communication. The agent that receives d.

   
serial d : a datum, where d is a communication. The serial number of d , determined locally when it is emitted.
  • d [containing d 1]: a subsort of communication, where d 1 is a (sort of) data, and d is a sort of communication. It includes only those communications in d whose contents is (of sort) d1.
  • d [from d 1]: a subsort of communication, where d 1 is a (sort of) agent, and d is a sort of communication. It includes only those communications in d whose sender is (of sort) d1.
  • d [to d 1]: a subsort of communication, where d 1 is a (sort of) agent, and d is a sort of communication. It includes only those communications in d whose receiver is (of sort) d 1.
  • d [at d 1]: a subsort of communication, where d 1 is a (sort of) natural number, and d is a sort of communication. It includes only those communications in d whose serial number is (of sort) d 1.
   OBS:These data are not implemented by the action interpreter.


    Communicativetive Action Index | Communicative Actions | Communicative Yielders | Communicative Data