A while ago - approximately three years from now, i was looking for a GPGPU capable solution for usage on FreeBSD and I stepped into the compilers from PathScale which are supposed to handle OpenACC (like OpenMP #pragma omp, but in this case #pragma openacc instead).
Well, there was hope since PathScale obviously had a FreeBSD commercial solution. It was in BETA stage that time, I applied for getting a testing copy, but never got an answer, even having had contact to Christopher Bergström, CTO at PathScale. Looking today at Phoronix, (http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=pathscale_ekopath_5beta&num=1), I read this benchmarking and followed the links which say that PathScale opensourced their compiler suite a while ago (http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=pathscale_ekopath4_open&num=1) I was curious and looked at PathScales website where I found three years ago also FreeBSD mentioned as a supported platform, but see foryourself, what supported platforms today mentioned there: http://www.pathscale.com/ekopath-compiler-suite Well, at the end, this means there is simply no binary or package that could be installed easily for scientists interested in that compiler. I do not know whether there are motivations to produce a FreeBSD 10/9 compatible package from the newly emitted PathScale EKO Patch 5 Beta compiler sources, which are available at github: https://github.com/path64/compiler Well, the official website of PathScale doens't mention FreeBSD anymore and this must have a reason why they droped support or any intention to support that OS. From the perspective of a "user", I'm the lonely "idiot" within kilometres using FreeBSD for my day-to-day scientifice work and sacrifice myself not having GPGPU capabilities. Something is really going into the wrong direction here. I'm very interested in the reasoning why PathScale droped FreeBSD and I guess it would be nice to reveal the reasons. Am I blind or is this again another erosion process of an operating system usefull even for scientific purposes? Well, I'm aware that my posting triggers again a lot of emotional discussions (I guess), since it did in the past. I try to evaluate the situation from the perspective of a "user", not someone who needs to be a Os engineer to use an OS. It is a kind of deep running frustration to see how the next great compiler suite for scientific purpose is simply vanishing - as it did with the NAG compilers which were offered for freeBSD as well as other OSs at the end of 1990s. Now there is no offering anymore. Regards, Oliver
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