Julia: A new language for technical computing

Toothsome

Article from ADMIN 10/2012

By Douglas Eadline

The Julia language is a very powerful parallel computing model that works across multiple cores and cluster nodes. Can this new language deliver on bold claims of fast, easy, and parallel?

In the early days of the personal computer, many people built and bought early desktop systems simply to explore computing on their own. Of course, they often had access to mainframe systems or even minicomputers, but something about having the computer physically next to you for your private use was appealing. As the sole user and owner, early users controlled everything, including the reset switch. Total ownership allowed early pioneers to tinker with hardware and software without concern for other users.

Some would argue that a whole new industry was launched from this "tinkering." The relatively low cost of early desktop computing allowed anyone who was curious to explore and adapt early PCs to their needs. Initially, programming tools were rare, and many early users found themselves writing assembly language programs or even toggling in machine code instructions. It was not long until Microsoft Basic was available and became one of the first high-level languages used by the early PC crowd. Languages like C and Fortran that were previously only available on larger systems soon followed. The PC revolution created a new class of "developer" – someone who had specific domain experience and a programmable PC at their disposal. Countless applications seemed to spring up overnight. Some applications went on to become huge commercial successes, and others found a niche in their specific application area.

Applying these lessons to HPC, you might ask, "how do I tinker with HPC?" The answer is far from simple. In terms of hardware, a few PCs, an Ethernet switch, and MPI get you a small cluster; or, a video card and CUDA get you some GPU hardware. Like the PC revolution, a low cost of entry now invites the DIY crowd to learn and play with HPC methods, but, the real question is: What software can a domain specialist use to tinker with HPC?

Many of the core HPC programming tools are often too low level for most domain

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