Structured Parallel Programming: How Informatics Can Help Overcome the Software Dilemma

Issue title: Parallel Computing Projects of the Swiss Priority Programme

Article type: Research Article

Authors: BURKHART, HELMAR | FRANK, ROBERT | HÄCHLER, GUIDO

Affiliations: Institut für Informatik, Universität Basel, Mittlere Strasse 142, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland; e-mail: {burkhart,frank,haechler}@ifi.unibas.ch

Abstract: The state-of-the-art programming of parallel computers is far from being successful. The main challenge today is, therefore, the development of techniques and tools that improve programmers' productivity. Programmability, portability, and reusability are key issues to be solved. In this article we shall report about our ongoing efforts in this direction. After a short discussion of the software dilemma found today, we shall present the Basel approach. We shall summarize our algorithm description methodology and discuss the basic concepts of the proposed skeleton language. An algorithmic example and comments on implementation aspects will explain our work in more detail. We shall summarize the current state of the implementation and conclude with a discussion of related work.

Journal: Scientific Programming, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 33-45, 1996