| This research addresses the computer hardware and software systems necessary for the transition of industry from its present state to one of computer-integrated manufacturing. This transition requires the integration of components which are themselves complex hardware and software systems. A generalization of the Virtual Machine computer architecture concept is presented which structures the integration of the complex components. The role of graphical interaction in engineering computing is explored, focusing on the Universal Engineering Workstation as the vehicle for such interaction. The rapid pace of interactive computing heightens the need for specialized processors to provide burst-mode computation. Integration of such processors into the general-purpose computing environment is addressed and suitable algorithms are presented. In the envisioned engineering environment problem-solvers use the Universal Engineering Workstation to graphically manage, control, and program application processes; however, they do not write code in the traditional programming fashion. |
