PORTS: a method for dynamic interprogram communication and job control

Abstract

Without communication mechanisms, a program is useless. It can neither obtain data for processing nor make its results available. Thus every programming language has contained communication mechanisms. These mechanisms have traditionally been separated into five categories based on the entity with which communication is established. The five entities with which programs can communicate are physical devices (such as printers, card readers, etc.), terminals (although a physical device, they have usually been treated separately), files, other programs, and the monitor. Corresponding to each of these categories are one or more communication mechanisms, some of which may be shared with other categories.