Online Computer Dictionary

A high-level programming language designed by Niklaus Wirth at ETH in 1978. It is a derivative of Pascal with well-defined interfaces between modules, 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 (monitors, coroutines and explicit transfer of control) and hardware access (absolute addresses and interrupts).

It uses name equivalence.

{DEC FTP archive (ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/.1/DEC/Modula-2/m2.tar.Z.

["Programming in Modula-2", N. Wirth, Springer 1985].