General-purpose multiparadigm programming languages: an enabling technology for constructing complex systems

Multiparadigm programming languages have been envisioned as a vehicle for constructing large and complex heterogeneous systems, such as a stock market exchange or a telecommunications network. General-purpose multiparadigm languages, as opposed to hybrid multiparadigm languages, embody several prevalent programming paradigms without being motivated by a single problem. One such language is Leda, which embodies the foundational paradigms of imperative, functional, logic, and object-oriented programming. We explore aspects of solving complex problems using Leda, in order to illustrate the benefits of using a multiparadigm language in expressing solutions to complex systems. We claim that general-purpose multiparadigm programming languages like Leda greatly expedite solutions to a variety of complex problems