A programming model is an execution model coupled to an API or a particular pattern of code. In this style, there are actually two execution models in play: the execution model of the base

programming language A programming language is a system of notation for writing computer programs. Programming languages are described in terms of their Syntax (programming languages), syntax (form) and semantics (computer science), semantics (meaning), usually def ...

and the execution model of the programming model. An example is Spark where Java is the base language, and Spark is the programming model. Execution may be based on what appear to be

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

calls. Other examples include the POSIX Threads library and Hadoop's MapReduce. In both cases, the execution model of the programming model is different from that of the base language in which the code is written. For example, the C programming language has no behavior in its execution model for input/output or thread behavior. But such behavior can be invoked from C syntax, by making what appears to be a call to a normal C library. What distinguishes a programming model from a normal library is that the behavior of the call cannot be understood in terms of the language the program is written in. For example, the behavior of calls to the POSIX thread library cannot be understood in terms of the C language. The reason is that the call invokes an execution model that is different from the execution model of the language. This invocation of an outside execution model is the defining characteristic of a programming ''model'', in contrast to a programming ''language''. In

parallel computing Parallel computing is a type of computing, computation in which many calculations or Process (computing), processes are carried out simultaneously. Large problems can often be divided into smaller ones, which can then be solved at the same time. ...

, the execution model often must expose features of the hardware in order to achieve high performance. The large amount of variation in parallel hardware causes a concurrent need for a similarly large number of parallel execution models. It is impractical to make a new language for each execution model, hence it is a common practice to invoke the behaviors of the parallel execution model via an API. So, most of the programming effort is done via parallel programming models rather than parallel languages. The terminology around such programming models tends to focus on the details of the hardware that inspired the execution model, and in that insular world the mistaken belief is formed that a programming model is only for the case when an execution model is closely matched to hardware features.

References

{{Reflist Computer programming