While Intel Scientific Computers is reported to be having continuing difficulties with compiler technology for its 80860-based, 128-processor iPSC/860 system, Alliant says its proprietary compilers can now be used on the standard 80860 part. However the Parallel Architecture Extensions standard, PAX, announced with great fanfare by the two firms back in October 1989 as an effort to deliver both an application binary interface and an application programming interface to 80860 hardware and software developers is still not complete, and means there is still no standard software available that will run across different 80860-based machines. Initial hopes for the extensions were that they would promote the development of a raft of new software and hardware products that could run on a new generation of 80860-based workstations, multi-processors, uni-processors and parallel systems. Parallel Architecture Extensions is now said to be some nine months away from completion, and even Alliant is not yet able to offer any popular Unix database system on its computers. The dearth of application software available for its machines is not expected to ease until late this year. The FX series of minisupers currently run an implementation of the Berkley System Distribution Unix variant – a System V.4 implementation is still a year out says Brain.
