Context

I use the term "Context" to refer to the concept of bringing the implicit namespace (ie. global variables) under explicit program control.

Other terms or systems which are the same or similiar include: Dynamic Scoping, Fluid Variables, Inversion of Control, Dependency Injection, Component Contexts, Environmental Acquisition, Frames, Prototypes, Explicit Namespaces, First-Class Environments, Pi-Calculus, and Alpha Forms.

Dynamic Scoping / Fluid Variables

Lisp was originally dynamically scoped. It was later switched to lexical scoping but the ability to perform dynamic scoping was still retained.

• Dynamic Scoping in C2
• Dynamic Scoping in Lisp
• Fluid Variables in Ruby

Inversion of Control

IoC frameworks are becoming very popular in the Java community.

• PicoContainer
• NanoContainer
• Phoenix
• Avalon
• Inversion of Control Containers and the Dependency Injection pattern

Component Oriented Software

Component Oriented software development involves creating software components which can be used to compose larger software systems. The method of plugging a component into the rest of the system is to provide it with some container specific Context class. In Java you can see many examples of this, including: ServletContext, AppletContext, and EJBContext. I'm interested in generic rather than specific Contexts.

• Component Software: Beyond Object-Oriented Programming

Environmental Acquisition

I've only ever seen this term used in the Python world.

• Environmental Acquisition

Frame-Based Systems

In AI they have the notion of a "Frame-Based System" as knowledge-based system in which frames constitute the primary means for encoding knowledge. Frames are a form of knowledge representation in which concepts are associated explicitly with their defining attributes. Instances of a concept are created by assigning values to the attributes.

• Expert systems: frames, rules or logic for species identification?
• XI - a Frame based language/database hybrid
• CYCL was originally Frame-based but isn't any longer
• Frame Languages - at Wikipedia
• Frame-Based Systems
• Related to Description Logics (DL)

Prototype Based Programming

The idea for creating "classless" OO systems was at least partially based on ideas taken from AI's Frame-Based Systems. The Class/Object duality is removed in favour of a single construct called the "Prototype". Prototypes are exactly Contexts. Context mechanics are very well developed within the field of prototype based languages. Unfortunately, these languages tend to underexploit the environmental aspects of prototypes.

• Introduction
• Advanced
• Io Language
• Prototype-based Languages
• Self Tutorial
• Albert

Mobile Agents

A mobile agent is a software component which can move from node to node in a network in the fulfillment of its tasks. When a Mobile Agent arrives at a new node it needs something like a Context to help it find its way around.

• IBM's Aglet Context

Pi Calculus

• Piccola - A Small Composition Language - Language based on immutable Contexts

Explicit Namespaces

• Explicit Namespaces
• Environments as First Class Objects - Alpha Forms in Symmetric Lisp
  
• Free variables and first-class environments
  
• A Programming Language Supporting First-Class Parallel Environments - Symmetric Lisp
  
• Locales: First-Class Lexical Environments for Common Lisp

Other

• Contexts in Scheme - and here
• BeanContext JavaDocs - Standard but unknown Java package
• Context Oriented Programming (in Forth)
• HiveMind - a services and configuration microkernel. Similar goals to Contexts.
• NewLisp - A New Lisp which is Context-Oriented
• Context Objects on C2
• Dynamically Scoped Functions as the Essence of AOP
• The Bla Language
• Pic%: A contemporary Prototype-Based Language
• Transmuter prototype-based dynamic programming language
• ContextL - CLOS extension for Context-oriented Programming
• Context-oriented Programming - by Prof. Dr. Robert Hirschfeld
• Monkey Patching
• Context-oriented Programming