dolfin team mailing list archive

[Anders Logg <logg@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear all,

as you can see from the logs, a lot of new and exciting things are
happening right now with the code. We're working on a number of major
changes and improvements. The most significant changes are the
following:

1. Replacing the linear algebra with PETSc

We have added preliminary wrappers (NewMatrix, NewVector, NewGMRES)
for PETSc linear algebra. These will replace the current linear
algebra of DOLFIN. The wrappers provide a simple C++ interface to
PETSc, while retaining the full generality and flexibility of PETSc.

Time frame: Already working and gradually improving

2. Replacing the form evaluation system with FFC

The FEniCS Form Compiler FFC will replace the current form evaluation
system of DOLFIN (PDE, ElementFunction, ShapeFunction, ...). Through
FFC, DOLFIN will provide automatic state-of-the-art evaluation of
variational forms with optimal speed (of the same speed as hand
written optimized code).

Time frame: We hope to have the new system in place in 2-3 weeks

3. A complete rewrite of the multi-adaptive ODE solver

The multi-adaptive solver has been rewritten with new data
structures. At the core, the new solver uses plain C arrays to store a
minimal set of data. In addition, a new algorithm speeds up
interpolation by entirely avoiding searching for elements within time
slabs. We're also implementing a mono-adaptive solver (cG(q) and dG(q))
for systems where the potential gain of multi-adaptivity is less
significant.

Time frame: We hope to have a preliminary version of the solver ready
in 1-2 weeks

/Anders