Newsgroups: comp.parallel.mpi
From: dtm@cis.ksu.edu (Dan D. Bethe)
Subject: Re: help with mpi projects?
Organization: Kansas State University
Date: 27 Nov 96 01:23:50 GMT
Message-ID: <dtm.849057967@depot.cis.ksu.edu.cis.ksu.edu>

To: tbruyere@chat.carleton.ca
Subject: Re: help with mpi projects?
Newsgroups: comp.parallel.mpi
References: <572spj$rn8@bertrand.ccs.carleton.ca>

In comp.parallel.mpi you write:

>Hi all, I'm thinking of doing my honours project on something
>parrallel (to coin a phrase) and I'm wondering, what are some of the
>real world applications of parrallel processing? I *was* thinking
>along the lines of games, since a lot of the really cool games

	Hi there.  I think parallel models are very important, even if you 
only have serial processing.  It lends extremely to the multitasking 
model, even if you only have one processor on all tasks.  "Smooth" 
multitasking relies on the idea that not all of the tasks are using 100% 
of resources at any given time.
	So write a program along some parallel model, such as simple
threads, and you'll see kick-butt potential.  For example, the operating
system OS/2 subscribes heavily to threading.  A graphics program called
ColorWorks was written whose claim is to see very little of the hourglass
mouse pointer because your operating system is processing all the threads
that were forked by ColorWorks independently of the user's interface! 
This is good because the tasks like color transforms can take up 100% time
for a while.  You can still do your mouse clicking, which certainly
doesn't take up much cpu time. 
	THEN, the parallel model of threading gets a LOT cooler when you 
then run the same ColorWorks application on a machine with multiple 
processors!  They are automatically individually sent off to individual 
cpu's by OS/2.
	Look into writing a threaded raytracer, or somehow parallelizing 
an existing one.  Today i thought of making several POVray scenes that are 
actually each describing one portal looking into the same object.
	In other words, it'd be like having a grid of windows all loooking 
at the outside of the house.  And run separate copies of POVray raytracing 
each "mini-scene" and then paste them all together at the end.
	I'd submit this to my pair of Convex supercomputers here :)
	Also see my group's web site at 
http://darklite.reshall.ksu.edu/~dtm/hecav/hecavindex.html.  We are full 
of parallel programmers!  See that web site because i am the sysadmin of 
the HECAV group so I'm taking care of their needs.
	I need help building my wealth of personal education, and of the
community here!!!  If ANYONE ELSE has anythign to add to my pages, then
let me know!!  You all can HELP A GREAT COMMUNITY A LOT!
	Good luck.  Do you like what i've written here so far?

-- 
                                  @->-->----
                "It's just love, and miracles out of nowhere."
            <dtm@cis.ksu.edu * 1020 Leavenworth #3 * 913-587-0696>

