[comp.sys.transputer] Object-oriented languages and Unix for transputers

nick@abblund.se (07/17/90)

While the rest of the world goes mad over object-oriented languages,
the transputer world seems to go its own sweet way. What's 
happening? Surely object-oriented languages are ideal for 
concurrent programming, or am I off cycling on my own (as they say
here in Sweden)? Are there no O-O languages available? Is there
no C++ or Eiffel, or o-o-occam? Is anybody working on this?

I'm sure that C++ on the transputer, horrible language though
it is, would be a real winner. It's a proven language. It's got
more features than occam, and it's easier to program in. When it
comes to the crunch, many project managers would rather gamble
their careers on C++ than occam. 

OK, so occam has its niche for analyzable problems such as image 
processing, robot kinetics, and scientific programming, but 
there's a whole world (and big market) out there of messy problems 
that C++ is better suited for.

And while I'm at it, what about other standard software. Is anyone
porting the Mach kernel or OSF/1 to the transputer? Is it even 
possible? Does Anyone out there know the answer? I've heard about
problems with "forking" with transputers. 

(For transputer people who haven't been outside their 
ivory towers lately, OSF/1 is the coming standard version of Unix, 
supported by IBM, DEC, and HP-Apollo. OSF/1 includes Mach, which 
is a kernel designed for concurrent processing.)

Come on, Inmos. Put a handful of men on it! You've wasted so much
time already. You don't have to ditch occam, but can you afford to
miss OSF/1 & C++? It's where the future is in general purpose 
computing. I may be an ex-patriate, but I'm not an ex-patriot,
and I'd like to see Britain (or failing that, Europe) up there 
where it belongs on the computer market.
-- 
Nick Hoggard
Man-Machine Communication Lab      ! Phone:    + 46 46 168524
ABB Corporate Research, Dept KLL   ! Fax:      + 46 46 145620
Ideon Research Park                ! Internet: nick@abblund.se

cca04@keele.ac.uk (P.J. Mitchell) (07/18/90)

From article <1990Jul17.085659.12177@abblund.se>, by nick@abblund.se:
> Come on, Inmos. Put a handful of men on it! You've wasted so much
> time already. You don't have to ditch occam, but can you afford to
> miss OSF/1 & C++? It's where the future is in general purpose 
> computing. I may be an ex-patriate, but I'm not an ex-patriot,
> and I'd like to see Britain (or failing that, Europe) up there 
> where it belongs on the computer market.

Meiko definitely have a C++ compiler, I've seen it. I don't think that it's
a secret or anything. Check it out. Try mailing them in the UK as,

advisory%uk.co.meiko@uk.ac.ukc
--
--Paul Mitchell (CMA N.Cheshire, DoD#0145)      | Computer Centre,
JANET:  cca04@uk.ac.keele.seq1                  | University of Keele, Keele,
USENET: cca04@seq1.keele.ac.uk@nss.cs.ucl.ac.uk | Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, U.K.
BITNET: cca04%seq1.keele.ac.uk@ukacrl           | 0782 - 621111 ext 3302