Toward Modular, Portable, Real-Time Software

W is a systematic approach toward the construction of event-driven, interactive, real-time software. W is driven by practical concerns, including the desire to reuse existing code wherever possible, the limited real-time software support in popular operating systems, and system cost. W provides a simple, efficient, software interconnection system, giving objects a uniform external interface based on setting attributes to values via asynchronous messages. An example shows how W is used to implement real-time computer music programs combining graphics and MIDI.