The Importance of Standards - Software
Writing programs for MPP is hard ...
But ... one-off efforts if written in a standard language
Past lack of parallel programming standards ...
- has restricted uptake of technology (to "enthusiasts")
- reduced portability (over a range of current architectures and between future generations)
- lost decade
Now standards exist: (PVM, MPI & HPF), which ...
- allows users & manufacturers to protect software investment
- encourage growth of a "third party" parallel software industry & parallel versions of widely used codes
- Others POSIX, COBRA, ...