dolfin team mailing list archive

[Anders Logg <logg@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Dec 07, 2006 at 08:18:31PM +0100, Garth N. Wells wrote:
> 
> 
> Anders Logg wrote:
> > On Thu, Dec 07, 2006 at 02:58:48PM +0100, Johan Jansson wrote:
> >> On Wed, Dec 06, 2006 at 10:51:57PM +0100, Anders Logg wrote:
> >>> On Tue, Dec 05, 2006 at 10:05:02PM +0100, Johan Jansson wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> The way I see modules is that they shouldn't exist at all. A module
> >>>> today is some equation- or domain-specific functions and
> >>>> algorithms. But the goal of FEniCS is that we shouldn't need
> >>>> equation-specific methods and algorithms.
> >>>> [...]
> >>> This is true, but we will always need the modules/solvers.
> >>>
> >>> A solver is something that specifies a number of fixed parameters,
> >>> like which equation to solve, and allows a user to specify some
> >>> others.
> >>>
> >>> This allows a user to solve say Navier-Stokes with a given right-hand
> >>> side on a given domain (and some other parameters).
> >>>
> >>> If we didn't have the Navier-Stokes solver, one would need to at least
> >>> write down Navier-Stokes and we can't expect everyone to know that
> >>> (not to mention writing down the weak formulation including
> >>> stabilization etc).
> >>>
> >>> So, in the end the modules could be very very short but they will still
> >>> be there.
> >>>
> >>> /Anders
> >> Yes, but if an entity only consists of written-down equations +
> >> coefficients, then let's call it an equation? And if an entity
> >> consists of equation-specific low-level functionality, then let's call
> >> it a module?
> >>
> >> Otherwise we have that a module consists of "stuff", which can be
> >> anything. And it becomes more difficult to quantify the progress of
> >> FEniCS, since everything looks the same, regardless if it's
> >> generalized/automated or not.
> > 
> > In that case, "solver" is a better name. A solver solves some equation
> > using a particular method.
> > 
> >    solver = equation + solution method
> >
> 
> This is how I see it. Can we agree for now on the structure
> 
> src/modules/solvers
> src/modules/demo
> 
> ? The compile time for the modules is annoying.
> 
> Garth

Yes!

/Anders