A fluid power system, comprising a. a pump with multiple outlets (11, 12, 13, 14); b. a plurality of hydraulic actuators or loads (15, 16, 18, 20), and any associated directional switching and load control valves; c. a system of switching valves configured to create fluid connections (7, 8, 9, 10) between the pump outlets (11, 12, 13, 14) and the actuators or loads (15, 16, 18, 20), each valve having discrete states, whereby certain combinations of states of the valves serve selectively to supply fluid to one or more of the loads (15, 16, 18, 20) from one or more of the pump outlets (11, 12, 13, 14) in one or more distinct and separate fluid paths (7, 8, 9, 10); and d. a control system, which is adapted to command both the pump and the switching valves, so as to create valve state combinations to satisfy load conditions as demanded by an operator, the valve state combination being changeable such as to change the number of pump outlets (11, 12, 13, 14) connected to one or more of the loads (15, 16, 18, 20) to satisfy the flow required of the load due to the operator demand, each pump outlet (11, 12, 13, 14) being commanded to produce a flow depending on the status of other outlets (11, 12, 13, 14) connected to a load (15, 16, 18, 20) to which the outlet (11, 12, 13, 14) is connected and the operator demand for that load (15, 16, 18, 20), the sequence of valve switching events and commanded outlet (11, 12, 13, 14) flows being such as to continuously maintain the load flow demanded by the operator, characterized in that e. the pump is a positive-displacement fluid pump with multiple independently-variable outlets, which is adapted to commutate working chambers of the pump by means of commutating valves in the form of electronically-controlled solenoid actuated poppet valves such that control of flow is achieved by varying the time-averaged proportion of working chambers which are commutated such as to pump fluid from a low pressure port to a high pressure port, to the proportion which are connected in both expansion and contraction strokes to the low pressure port and thus do no fluid work, and wherein the commutation of each stroke of the working chamber is independently controllable and independently variable for each outlet so that the pump is capable of delivering fluid to said independently-variable outlets in individually-controllable volume units, each corresponding to a single stroke or part of the stroke of a single working chamber, f. wherein said valve states are combined in a way that said plurality of loads are coupled to said multiple independently-variable outlets in a way that the different load pressures are completely decoupled. a. a pump with multiple outlets (11, 12, 13, 14); b. a plurality of hydraulic actuators or loads (15, 16, 18, 20), and any associated directional switching and load control valves; c. a system of switching valves configured to create fluid connections (7, 8, 9, 10) between the pump outlets (11, 12, 13, 14) and the actuators or loads (15, 16, 18, 20), each valve having discrete states, whereby certain combinations of states of the valves serve selectively to supply fluid to one or more of the loads (15, 16, 18, 20) from one or more of the pump outlets (11, 12, 13, 14) in one or more distinct and separate fluid paths (7, 8, 9, 10); and d. a control system, which is adapted to command both the pump and the switching valves, so as to create valve state combinations to satisfy load conditions as demanded by an operator, the valve state combination being changeable such as to change the number of pump outlets (11, 12, 13, 14) connected to one or more of the loads (15, 16, 18, 20) to satisfy the flow required of the load due to the operator demand, each pump outlet (11, 12, 13, 14) being commanded to produce a flow depending on the status of other outlets (11, 12, 13, 14) connected to a load (15, 16, 18, 20) to which the outlet (11, 12, 13, 14) is connected and the operator demand for that load (15, 16, 18, 20), the sequence of valve switching events and commanded outlet (11, 12, 13, 14) flows being such as to continuously maintain the load flow demanded by the operator, characterized in that e. the pump is a positive-displacement fluid pump with multiple independently-variable outlets, which is adapted to commutate working chambers of the pump by means of commutating valves in the form of electronically-controlled solenoid actuated poppet valves such that control of flow is achieved by varying the time-averaged proportion of working chambers which are commutated such as to pump fluid from a low pressure port to a high pressure port, to the proportion which are connected in both expansion and contraction strokes to the low pressure port and thus do no fluid work, and wherein the commutation of each stroke of the working chamber is independently controllable and independently variable for each outlet so that the pump is capable of delivering fluid to said independently-variable outlets in individually-controllable volume units, each corresponding to a single stroke or part of the stroke of a single working chamber, f. wherein said valve states are combined in a way that said plurality of loads are coupled to said multiple independently-variable outlets in a way that the different load pressures are completely decoupled.