Re: [sv-ec]E-mail Vote: Closes 12am PST October 10th 2007

Yes, I eventually hooked into the meaning - in some sense, processes are the 
only things (besides primitives) that "do" anything - functions just sit there, 
being defined and containing code for processes to execute. It is then the 
process that calls the function, executes its code and returns from the call.

You've also correctly guessed what I was saying (that you don't return from a 
process).

Dave did not include my rewording, which is now OK with me. That sentence still 
bothers me some, but not enough to change my vote. If there's interest in 
changing it, I'll take another crack at it:

"Thus, a process calling a function shall execute the function and return from 
it without blocking."

I believe this addresses your concern with using "immediately" - not blocking 
during the call seems to me to be the relevant concept. It implies that 
simulation time does not pass, that we do not move to a new region of the 
current time slice, and that no other processes can start executing until after 
we're done.

--Mike

Steven Sharp wrote:
>> From: Michael Burns <michael.burns@freescale.com>
> 
>> Friendly amendment: this sentence needs wordsmithing:
>>
>> 13.4.5, 2nd sentence:
>> "Thus, a process calling a function shall return immediately."
>>
>> I think I know what it's trying to say, but the wording seems wrong - processes 
>> don't return. How about this:
> 
> It is trying to say that the process does not wait for the subprocesses
> (which already follows from the definition of join_none).
> 
> I think when you say that processes don't return, you are saying that
> you don't return from the process.  But you do return from the function
> call, and it is the process that is doing that returning.  So the process
> is returning (from the function call).
> 
> Perhaps the text could say
> 
> "Thus, a process calling a function shall return from it immediately."
> 
> However, there is a more general problem with the use of the word
> "immediately".  If taken literally, it would imply returning before
> executing the function.  The word "immediately" is a very strong one.
> It does not imply "without any simulation time passing", or "without the
> process blocking".  It implies "before anything else happens".  So it
> implies that a process calling the function returns the moment it calls,
> without executing the function first.
> 
> Steven Sharp
> sharp@cadence.com
> 


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