A dataflow-based APL for the hypercube

Abstract

Traditional hypercube programming has three main characteristics. Most is done in a compiled language, FORTRAN or C, directly for the hypercube architecture and usually, one particular hypercube operating system. Secondly, algorithms have had very symmetrical decompositions; each node does essentially the same thing as other nodes. Similarly, data decomposition has normally been very regular, To an extent, these characteristics are very understandable. The people coding for the hypercube have been programmers writing code to solve problems suited to their particular hypercube as quickly as possible. The hypercube architecture is obviously well-suited to regular problems. The hypercube is reaching a stage of maturity, however, at which it’s appropriate to consider alternatives to these methods. In particular, compiled languages such as FORTRAN and C offer little to the casual user in the way of a convenient development environment or real-time feedback. Moreover, individual users must either build up and maintain a software library or recode commonly-used routines as they develop applications. The user must be familiar with the operating system interface to the hypercube, be willing to change code if the program needs to be ported, and be willing and able to convert the code into a parallel implementation.