Abstract
We describe a parallel programming system for developing machine
independent programs for all MIMD machines. Many useful approaches
to this problem are seen to require a common base of support, which
can be encapsulated in a language that abstracts over resource
management decisions and machine specific details. This language
can be used for implementing other high level approaches as well as
for efficient application programming. The requirements for such a
language are defined, and the language supported by the Charm
system is described, and illustrated with examples.Charm is one of
the first languages to support message driven execution, and
embodies unique abstractions such as branch office chares and
specifically shared variables. In Part II of this paper, we talk
about the runtime support system for Charm. The system thus
provides ease of programming on MIMD platforms without sacrificing
performance.