Xref: utzoo comp.lang.apl:209 comp.parallel:335
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From: eos!eugene@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Eugene Miya)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl,comp.parallel
Subject: Re: APL for Parallel Algorithms
Keywords: APL, parallel processing
Message-ID: <3788@hubcap.UUCP>
Date: 7 Dec 88 19:23:21 GMT
Sender: fpst@hubcap.UUCP
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Approved: parallel@hubcap.clemson.edu

I asked several people involved in the use of APL on the STAR-100 at LLNL
in the 1970s why it didn't take off (The "Geez, it's logically parallel
vector [what have you]...")  The inconsistent reply had to do with the
order of evaluation.

Steve Wallach at Convex has also mentioned APL and I sent him Tim Budd's
APL compiler (would not quite come up on on C-1, yacc problems).  It will
be interesting to watch the development of parallel languages in coming years:
the semantics of parallelism have changed, how much will look like APL?
How much will differ?  Portability (compiler/interpreter as well as
program) will be an increasing concern.  If APL lags, you won't see it on
parallel machines (APL2 on IBMs may be an exception due to inertia).

Another gross generalization from

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov
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