I used tuplespaces to implement a poor man's distributed computing for Matlab back in 2009 or so.

It would simply put Matlab code and parameters in a tuple, a worker would pick it up, compute, and put the results back. Used it to distribute the heavy function evaluation in a genetic optimization.

It was very easy and trouble free..

Edit: mixed up the implementations, I used TSpaces by IBM http://www.almaden.ibm.com/cs/TSpaces/Version3/ClientProgrGu...