title: Is JavaScript/NodeJS truly parallel?
body: <p>Recently in school, I've been taught C++/OpenMPI in a parallel computing class. I don't really like to program in C++ as its low level and harder to program, easier to make mistakes etc. </p>
  
  <p>So I've been thinking, is JavaScript/NodeJS (something I've started to like) actually truly parallel? Or is it simply using non-blocking operations to <em>simulate</em> parallel execution (which I think it is)? There are libraries like <a href="https://github.com/caolan/async" rel="nofollow"><code>async</code></a> which gives similar functions to what I've used in OpenMPI: gather, scatter even "parallel". But I've got a feeling its just simulating parallelism using non-blocking IO? </p>
  
  <p>Perhaps only <a href="https://npmjs.org/package/node-webcl" rel="nofollow"><code>node-webcl</code></a> is truly parallel? </p>
  
  <p><strong>UPDATE</strong>: Seems possible via web workers (~31 min): watching <a href="http://www.infoq.com/presentations/Parallel-Programming-with-Nodejs" rel="nofollow">http://www.infoq.com/presentations/Parallel-Programming-with-Nodejs</a></p>