Newsgroups: comp.parallel.pvm
From: newton@cs.utk.edu (Peter Newton)
Subject: Pre-announce: PVM-based visual programming environment
Organization: utk
Date: 15 Mar 1995 13:45:19 -0500
Message-ID: <3k7cjvINN19o@comet.cs.utk.edu>



                 Call for Beta Testers
                 ---------------------

Project: VPE
From: University of Tennessee Computer Science Department
Contact: Peter Newton (newton@cs.utk.edu)

We are looking for people willing to try out an early pre-release
version of a new PVM-related visual programming environment.  Be
warned that it has not yet been used extensively by real users.  It
will have problems.

VPE is an integrated visual programming environment.  Users create
programs by drawing and annotating directed graphs.  VPE can then
automatically compile and run them.  VPE creates PVM programs with
a focus on networks of workstations.  VPE's goal is to be easier to
use than PVM.  In one test, 85% fewer library calls were needed with
VPE.

VPE has been built and at least minimally tested on the following
workstations types: SUN4 (SunOS and Solaris), RS6K (AIX 3.2.5), DEC
ALPHA (OSF/1 V3.0 ), HPPA (HPUX A.09.03 A).  We intend to get it
working on SGIs also.

If you would like to try it, please send email to newton@cs.utk.edu.

For more information, try

    http://www.cs.utk.edu:80/~newton/vpe/vpe.html

VPE has similar goals to HeNCE, but it is quite different.  VPE node
computations consist of ordinary C or Fortran subprogram bodies that
contain calls to vpe communication library routines.  These are similar
to PVM routines but have simpler interfaces.  Just FYI, here is where to
get HeNCE info: ftp://ftp.netlib.org/hence.
-- 
Peter Newton (newton@cs.utk.edu)

