maybe you didn't load the package with 'pkg load parallel'?
ummm, heh, yeah. that was it.
so trying again:
octave:7> pkg load parallel
octave:8> test("__test_rfeval__.cc","verbose")
>>>>> c:\programs\octave\__test_rfeval__.cc
***** test
__test_rfeval__ (@ (x) sqrt (x), 1, @ (info, x) info.message);
assert (__test_rfeval__ (9, 1, @ (info, x) info.message){1}, 3);
assert (iscellstr (__test_rfeval__ ("a", 1, @ (info, x) info.message)));
open: No such file or directory
process generation failed
so far octave has been sitting at this state for a couple hours, windows indicates all octave sub-processes at 0%