ABSTRACT
This chapter is about parallel processing, or parallel computing; the terms are used synonymously. It will focus on ways to produce real applications not computer science abstractions. It will start out by describing what parallel computing is and why as a geographer you should even care. It will then give a brief historical overview of supercomputing and the rise of parallel computers. It will then attempt to set out what parallel computing is good for and what it is not good for and then finish up by showing you how you might get started with parallel computing.
