< language > A high-level programming language designed by Niklaus Wirth at ETH in 1978. It is a derivative of Pascal with well-defined interfaces between module s, and facilities for parallel computation. Modula-2 was developed as the system language for the Lilith workstation .
The central concept is the module which may be used to encapsulate a set of related subprograms and data structures, and restrict their visibility from other portions of the program. Each module has a definition part giving the interface, and an implementation part.
The language provides limited single-processor concurrency ( monitor s, coroutine s and explicit transfer of control) and hardware access ( absolute address es and interrupt s). It uses name equivalence .
DEC FTP archive .
["Programming in Modula-2", N. Wirth, Springer 1985].
(1995-10-25)