[W/K] :: SISAL

  sisal
       n 1: a plant fiber used for making rope [syn: sisal hemp]
       2: Mexican or West Indian plant with large fleshy leaves
          yielding a stiff fiber used in e.g. rope [syn: Agave
          sisalana]

  SISAL
       Streams and Iteration in a Single-Assignment Language
       
       

  SISAL
       
          Streams and Iteration in a Single Assignment Language.
       
          A general-purpose single assignment functional programming
          language with strict semantics, automatic parallelisation
          and efficient arrays.  Outputs a dataflow graph in IF1
          (Intermediary Form 1).  Derived from VAL, adds recursion
          and finite streams.  Pascal-like syntax.  Designed to be a
          common high-level language for numerical programs on a variety
          of multiprocessors.
       
          Implementations exist for Cray X-MP, Cray Y-MP, Cray-2,
          Sequent, Encore Alliant, dataflow architectures,
          transputers and systolic arrays.
       
          Defined in 1983 by James McGraw et al, Manchester
          University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
          Colorado State University and DEC.  Revised in 1985.
          First compiled implementation in 1986.  Performance superior
          to C and competitive with Fortran, combined with efficient
          and automatic parallelisation.
       
          Not to be confused with SASL.
       
          E-mail: John Feo , Rod Oldehoeft
          .
       
          David C. Cann has written an Optimising SISAL Compiler
          (ftp://sisal.llnl.gov/pub/sisal) (OSC) which attempts to make
          efficient use of parallel processors such as Crays.
       
          Latest version: 12.0, SISAL 1.2.
       
          ["A Report on the SISAL Language Project", J.T. Feo et al, J
          Parallel and Distrib Computing 10(4):349-366 (Dec 1990)].
       
          (2000-07-07)