The WHOM language is designed to allow developers to simulate the creation and management of a household. Using WHOM, it is possible to define a household as well as a set of rules to govern the automatic operations of that household. WHOM is designed to be a simple but powerful, object-oriented, event-driven, flexible, and robust language.
OverviewMany sci-fi writers envision a future world in which most of the household tasks would be performed by machines. Even today many objects exist that have the capacity of being programmed. Examples include VCRs, alarm clocks, etc. It is not so hard to imagine that in the future many household objects, from windows to full-featured security systems will come with built-in computers capable of controlling various built-in functionalities. A simple window, equipped with the right mechanism, can be easily opened or closed, and locked or unlocked automatically without requiring any action by a human. The possibilities are virtually endless, and could involve not only windows that open and close, but doors that lock and unlock, and refrigerators that automatically restock themselves by contacting the nearest supermarket and ordering the necessary foods to be delivered at a certain time. With a slight stretch of imagination, it is also possible to imagine that in the future objects would be able to perform more complicated tasks, such as windows washing themselves, beds making themselves, and entire households being able to implement internal security and ambiance features. We have assumed that our objects are "futuristic" with complex mechanisms that enable them to perform a variety of function. All objects in the house are connected to a single Household Management System (HMS), which allows them to communicate.The WHOM language allows to define the behavior of these objects. Instead of issuing commands to each of these objects, the WHOM language is intended to provide a uniform and easy-to-use programming interface to the objects in the house. This way the objects will be able to act even when the owner of the house is not present at all. Thus, rather than going into the trouble of issuing direct commands, the user would be able to write a program in the WHOM language to specify what the objects should do, and in response to what events.Considering the fact that a majority of the population has no programming experience, we had to make the language very simple to use. In order to use the language, first the house itself needs to be defined and then all the objects inside the house need to be "plugged in". This may be done by a WHOM system programmer, similar to how some things get installed by the electrician currently. However, the language is simple enough for the user,
