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From: gnu@sun.uucp (John Gilmore)
Newsgroups: net.arch
Subject: Re: Cray-XMP v/s VP-200
Message-ID: <1133@sun.uucp>
Date: Tue, 22-May-84 01:26:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: sun.1133
Posted: Tue May 22 01:26:52 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 23-May-84 19:13:31 EDT
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Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
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In fact, Analogics (the major builder of array processors) has an ongoing
project called "The APL Machine".  They are building an APL system that
uses the array processor.  Last time I saw it demonstrated they only had
the monadic functions working, but it would run them at .5Mflops or something.
The AP is controlled by a 68000 board and the user interface is via an IBM PC
over a serial line.

Tim Budd at U. Arizona has also done some research on compiling APL for a vector
machine.  (Note that the APL Machine project is an interpreter, not a compiler.)

I could conceive of Cray or another (maybe more software oriented) super-
computer company buying rights to the Analogics product on supercomputers,
leaving Analogics the market for supermicros with AP's.  Actually, having
a supermicro product exactly compatible with the Cray product would probably
result in a lot of supermicro sales to people preparing programs for the
Cray.

Ever since the CDC STAR, the APL world has been wondering why no super-
computer manufacturer would bother to write an APL.  Maybe we'll find out
within the next few years whether it's worthwhile or not.