The C++11 standard library introducedstd::asyncas a convenient means of asynchronously executing a function on a new thread and returning an instance of astd::futurerepresenting the eventual result produced by that function. In HPX, thehpx::asyncAPI is one of the most basic parallelization facilities exposed to the user. Here is a simple example of how it can be used:
HPX
HPX and C++ Task Blocks
The quest for finding efficient, convenient, and widely usable higher level parallelization constructs in C++ is continuing. With the standardization document N4411, a group of authors from Intel and Microsoft propose thetask_blockfacility which formalizes fork-join parallelism. From the paper (slightly edited):
HPX and C++ Executors
The STE||AR Group has implemented executors in HPX which, as proposed by the C++ standardization proposal called ‘Parallel Algorithms Need Executors’ (document number N4406), are objects that choose where and how a function call is completed. This is a step in the right direction for HPX and parallelism because executors give more flexibility on how and where task based work should be accomplished and gives the programmer a means to compose executors nicely with execution policies inside of algorithm implementations.
HPX and the C++ Standard
While developing HPX, it has always been a goal to create an API which is as easy to learn and use as possible. We quickly realized that almost all of our functionality can be exposed through the interfaces which are already standardized as part of the C++11 standard library or which are being proposed for standardization over the next years. So we made it our goal to conform to the C++ standard documents and proposals as closely as possible. This decision has fundamental impact on almost all aspects of our work on HPX.
STE||AR Group Accepted as a GSoC 2015 Mentor Organization
The STE||AR Group is proud to announce that it has been accepted as a mentoring organization in the Google Summer of Code 2015 (GSoC) program! This program pays students to work on open source projects for three months over the summer. While the timeline is short, the experience can leave a lasting impression. In fact, some of us met professionally through past GSoC programs. The next step in the process is for students who wish to participate to write proposals for the work that they would like to do over the summer. To get some ideas of what STE||AR projects are available, please checkout our GSoC Project Ideas page here. We encourage all interested students to contact us with their questions and project ideas at hpx-users@stellar.cct.lsu.edu. We are looking forward to a great summer of code!