Newsgroups: comp.parallel.mpi
From: treumann@windsurf.kgn.ibm.com (Dick Treumann)
Subject: Re: Ada/MPI binding
Organization: IBM Corporation, Poughkeepsie, NY
Date: 11 Nov 1996 14:28:00 GMT
Message-ID: <567d5g$1748@poknews.pok.ibm.com>

The MPI Standard does not specify Ada/MPI bindings so if such a thing as Ada
bindings for MPI does exist it is only as an extension on some MPI
implementation.   There would be no guarentee that such Ada bindings would have
any portability.  The only assurance you would have that future versions of MPI
would continue to have consistent Ada bindings is whatever assurance that 
implementation could provide.

In short, if the MPI code you plan to write is intended to have long term value
you should probabably use one of the bindings provided by the MPI standard. 
If you see a need for Ada bindings as a part of MPI you are welcome to urge the
MPI Forum to add them.  The MPI-2 draft will be presented at SuperComputing 96
and it provides Fortran, C and C++ bindings.  The C++ bindings are being added to
all of MPI (1 and 2) because of strong user demand.

Though MPI-2 is probably too far along to consider Ada bindings, the MPI
standardization effort is probably not over for all time.  Get your desires and
the reasons on record if you wish to.  Keep an eye on MPI and jump into the next
round of MPI standardization if there is one.

        Regards - Dick
  
-- 
Dick Treumann                               IBM RS/6000 Division
(Internet) treumann@kgn.ibm.com             Poughkeepsie, NY
(VNET)     TREUMANN at KGNVMC               Tel: (914) 433-7846
(internal) treumann@windsurf.kgn.ibm.com    Fax: (914) 433-8363

