SDIWG:Software Engineering At Stanford
Hi! I'm the SDI liason for Simbios. At this point we are in the very early stages of SimTK design work and look forward to learning how the other centers are handling SW Engr. The only comment I've got at the moment is that I strongly believe in the importance of a coherent, well-thought-out architecture in which to build the code.
Well, OK, one more comment. SimTK's computational needs are very similar to high-performance scientific programming like climate prediction or nuclear weapons simulation. For this reason we are currently planning to base the lower levels on the emerging Common Component Architecture (CCA) Standard funded by DOE. Please take a look at http://www.cca-forum.org for more information. I would suggest that other centers also consider this approach if you have computationally-intensive subcomponents. Use of CCA seems directly relevent to the SDIWG goals since it is specifically oriented to interchange and reuse of high-performance software components.
I look forward to working with you all.
Best regards,
Sherm
Contents
Contact Info
Michael Sherman (Sherm)
Simbios Chief Software Architect
Dept. of Bioengineering
James H. Clark Center, S241
318 Campus Drive West
Stanford, CA 94305-5448
Office: 650 725 6535
Direct: 650 464 4871
mailto:msherman@stanford.edu
SimTK Engineering Journal
One need programmers have is to be able to refer to archival material from source code comments. This need is met nicely by standard journal articles and books, but can be problematic for internally generated material which tends to change frequently. We are addressing this by providing an internal archival repository called "The SimTK Engineering Journal". There isn't much in it yet, but a prototype version is up on our site here: http://journal.SimTK.org. Comments are invited.
Sherm
Software licensing terms for Simbios
Philosophy (from section 6.D.4.1 of the Simbios grant proposal)
The dual goals of our software availability plan are (1) to give the research community unrestricted ability to access and contribute to the software environment and (2) to promote technology transfer (and thus public benefit) in a way that allows for successful commercialization. We embrace the philosophy of the open source movement, achieving the highest possible quality software through an open development process that incorporates input and contributions from the most motivated and knowledgeable members of the scientific community. We will use a copyright consistent with that philosophy.
The SimTK source code, binary executable code, and documentation will be made freely available for all to use in both non-profit and for-profit sectors. Commercialization of derivative products will be unrestricted. Modifying the code and sharing those modifications with whomever one wants will be unrestricted. We will use the precedent of the VTK software package from Kitware, Inc. and the jointly developed ITK software package as a guide. In particular, we will adopt a BSD-style open source license that will allow unrestricted use, even for commercial products. Outside contributed code that is accepted into the official distribution will be required to adhere to the same terms.
Copyright text
Copyright (c) 2005, Stanford University All rights reserved. Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
- Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
- Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
- Neither the name of the Stanford University nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
