Date: 14 Dec 2001 14:10:06 -0800 From: swear@blarg.net (Gary W. Swearingen) To: j mckitrick <jcm@FreeBSD-uk.eu.org> Cc: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Who writes the esoteric scientific Unix apps? Message-ID: <f9vgf98ncx.gf9@localhost.localdomain> In-Reply-To: <20011214170714.A13736@dogma.freebsd-uk.eu.org> References: <20011214170714.A13736@dogma.freebsd-uk.eu.org>
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j mckitrick <jcm@FreeBSD-uk.eu.org> writes: > We hear so often that high-end Unix worstations are used for advanced > scientific applications. The biggest of the big iron usually goes to > weather/finance forecasting and especially nuclear research. > > Who writes these apps? Specialized software companies or in-house > developers? Are they batch-based, command line apps or GUI driven? Most of it is part of a simulation of some sort. Simulations of the real world, simulation of proposed parts for a new real world, and even similation of past worlds in a some cases (eg, tail falling off). There are innumerable things to simulate, and better simulations allow reductions of risk and reductions of wasteful "margins" on designs. Simulations involve approximations and short-cuts throughout and more computing power is always welcome and soon taken advantage of when made available. It's great fun, involving science, math, and often experimentation or just experimental results for qualifying the simulations. It's done by both scientists and engineers and sometimes technicians. Mostly in-house buy people who get almost all of their expertise on the job, but there are also many small companies who specialize in some simulation niche. I'd guess that most are started from a command line, most likely with no arguments, being config-file or even just new source-code driven. But there's lots of scientific coding in embedded or GUI software like pilot-training simulators (full-sized or PC-based), warfare simulators and mission planning systems, and some medical equipment like body scanners and laser surgery equipment. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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