Re: Next Generation of Language

mark.hoemmen@xxxxxxxxx wrote:


Actually, for performance, it can help a lot (in the HPC world) if you
have software control of data movement. I can dig up some citations if
you are interested.

Yes, of course, but the HPC world is an odd one. A similar argument
(and this isn't sarcasm) says that for performance it can help a lot if
you don't use a dynamic/high-level language, avoid non-array datatypes
&c &c. It can, but for most application areas there are other
considerations.


I would argue that a good programming language for HPC applications
would let programmers know when they are about to do something
expensive. Communication is way more expensive than arithmetic, no?

Yes, I agree with this. but HPC is, as I said, odd (though I'm
interested in it). For most applications you want to have some idea of
what the performance model of the machine is like (which is beyond the
vast majority of programmers for a start), to write code which (if
performance is an issue which very often it is not) should sit well
with that model, and then to allow the machine (in the `compiler, HW
and OS' sense) do most of the boring work of, for instance, making sure
memory is local to threads &c &c.

I can see that I've now got completely sidetracked. My original point
in this thread was that multicore systems will end up on desktops for
reasons which have rather little to do with performance, and now I'm
talking about HPC :-) I will go and devour some minions.

--tim

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