In some cases, linear growth may not be acceptable. The tool has adequate functionality to effectively accomplish its intended tasks. Interoperability A parallel tool is interoperable if its design is based on open interfaces and if it conforms to applicable standards. A parallel tool is portable if it works on different parallel platforms and if platform dependencies have been isolated to specific parts of the code. A performance analysis tool is extensible if new analysis methods and views can be added easily.
Maturity Includes robustness, level of support, and size of user base.
Robustness A parallel tool is robust if it handles error conditions without crashing and by reporting them and recovering from them appropriately. The timeliness and quality of responses to questions from users or the reviewer should be adequate for typical package use. Size of user base Indicators include the existence of newsgroups or mailing lists for the package, and the number of downloads of the package. Ease of use The software has an understandable user interface and is easy to use for a typical NHSE user. The software characteristics described in the criteria above are most appropriately assessed by reviewer judgment rather than by measured results.