xmds 1.5-3 review
DownloadXMDS project is a code generator that integrates equations
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XMDS project is a code generator that integrates equations. You write them down in human readable form in an XML file, and it goes away and writes and compiles a C++ program that integrates those equations as fast as it can possibly be done in your architecture.
xmds - the eXtensible Multi-Dimensional Simulator - is a program for solving equations - fast. It is a tool to simplify the computer modelling of various systems, and is currently being developed within the Australian Centre for Quantum-Atom Optics at the University of Queensland.
There are many situations in many areas where a system of interest can be modelled by a differential equation or equations. Such areas include: physics, mathematics, engineering, physical and theoretical chemistry, theoretical and computational biology, finance, and economics. Modelling these systems involves writing a computer program to find a solution to the equations, which is not necessarily easy to do.
This is where xmds comes in. The advantage of using xmds instead of doing the same job by means of conventional programming is the same as ordering a pizza as opposed to making one yourself. The only thing you have to learn to become an xmds user is "How to order a pizza".
There are a couple of important differences here though: normally you have to pay for the pizza, while xmds comes for free; and xmds is like a gourmet pizza outlet - one has the option of exotic things like solving stochastic equations, which the chain-brand "pizza vendors" don't offer! xmds therefore makes writing complex computer simulations simple.
Another major advantage of xmds is that it is free. The source code and documentation can be freely downloaded from the xmds web site. xmds runs on Linux, Unix (including MacOS X) and the Cygwin environment on Windows, help for installing xmds on these systems is available both from the web site and the xmds distribution.
xmds is especially useful in solving complex problems requiring solving the problem over many different random parameters. Such problems can be parallelised (run on lots of computers at the same time) and xmds does this automatically with little user input, making the solution of these problems a breeze.
Often writing a computer program to solve complex problems can be very difficult, time-consuming, and error-prone. This is where xmds excels. One merely needs to write a script in a high-level form which is easy for a person to understand, and xmds goes off and writes the low-level code for you, producing code that is better for a computer.
This makes the writing of a simulation program significantly easier, reducing the development time, and almost eliminating bugs since xmds has written the vast majority of the code for you and has used thoroughly tested code and techniques in the production of the program.
The output program that xmds writes is still about as fast as code hand-written by an expert, so one can has the best of both worlds: quick development time, and quick execution.
So, if you're trying to model a bunch of atoms bouncing around together, the diffusion of an electrolyte solution, the reaction of enzymes with a substrate, or the volatility of stock prices, then xmds is the simulation tool for you.
Here are some key features of "xmds":
An open-source XML based simulation package
From Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) up to stochastic Partial Differential Equations (PDEs)
Many applications:
- physics
- mathematics
- engineering
- finance
- economics
- chemistry
- theoretical biology
Generates fast, C++ compiled code
Documentation and source are free!
Runs on Linux, Unix, MacOS X and Cygwin (Windows)
Installation
tar -xzvf xmds-1.3-5.tar.gz
cd xmds-1.3-5
./configure --with-user (or if logged on as root ./configure)
make
make install
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