k is incredibly good for distributed computing. It's not as difficult as you're thinking: Arthur started out (as far as languages he published: he implemented a few before) with A and A+ at Morgan Stanley, and Morgan Stanley up until a few years ago actively used both. Distribution was inherent in k from the outset.

Also, your comment on "noDB" is unfounded. k and q are exclusively distributed with kdb+, which is probably the fastest SQL database on the planet.