Strictness analysis in the Imperative Lambda Calculus

Abstract

Abstract. Concerns over efficiency and expressiveness of functional languages have motivated the study of languages that allow state and pure functionality to coexist peacefully. However, state-oriented features complicate the static analyses which are essential for efficient compilation of these languages. The problem is an interesting one because it combines traditional strictness analysis with the abstract storage structure analysis familiar from imperative languages. We apply the technique of abstract interpretation to perform strictness analysis in the Imperative Lambda Calculus of Swamp, Reddy, and Ireland. A basic analysis is presented, along with some extensions to handle certain evident weaknesses; proofs for these analyses are discussed in some detail.