[kepler-dev] Ptolemy II 4.0-alpha is available for download

[Christopher Hylands Brooks]

For those of you not on Ptolemy-hackers . . .

> Ptolemy II 4.0-alpha is available for download from
> http://ptolemy.eecs.berkeley.edu/ptolemyII/ptII4.0/
> 
> 
> VisualSense-4.0-alpha is also available as part of the download.
> 
> VisualSense is a visual editor and simulator for wireless sensor
> network systems.
> 
> Modeling of wireless sensor networks requires sophisticated modeling
> of communication channels, sensor channels, ad-hoc networking
> protocols, localization strategies, media access control protocols,
> energy consumption in sensor nodes, etc. VisualSense is designed to
> support a component-based construction of such models. VisualSense is
> intended to enable the research community to share models of disjoint
> aspects of the sensor nets problem and to build models that include
> sophisticated elements from several aspects.
> 
> The VisualSense documentation can be found at 
> http://ptolemy.eecs.berkeley.edu/papers/04/VisualSenseERLMemo0408/VisualSenseERLMemo0408.pdf
> 
> Eventually, we will have a separate VisualSense only Windows
> installer.
> 
> In this release, under Windows, to install VisualSense, install the
> full version of Ptolemy II and select Vergil - VisualSense from the
> Start menu.  
> 
> If you rebuild from source, then to start up VisualSense, run
>    vergil -visualsense
> 
> 
> New Features
> ------------
>   Major Features that are new in Ptolemy II 4.0
> 
>      * Modeling wireless sensor networks (VisualSense)
>        The wireless domain extends the DE domain with wireless channel
>        modeling and library of components and methodologies for modeling
>        wireless systems. This domain is packaged in a Ptolemy II
>        configuration called VisualSense, which includes an extensive
>        suite of demos.
>      * Hierarchical classes, subclasses, and inner classes.
>        Version 4.0 introduces actor-oriented classes, subclasses, and
>        inner classes with inheritance. This is a major improvement in the
>        modularity mechanisms available in actor-oriented design. A side
>        effect of the class mechanism is that MoML files are now much
>        smaller since they do not duplicate information defined in a base
>        class.
>      * Lifecycle management
>        Version 4.0 introduces the first of a family of lifecycle
>        management actors, which are actors that control the execution of
>        associated models. This example uses one model to control repeated
>        runs of another.
>        
>   Other Features that are new in Ptolemy II 4.0
> 
>      * Statically Checked Unit System
>        The new statically checked units system associates units with
>        ports and checks compatibility in connections.
>      * Higher-Order Components. Version 4.0 adds higher-order
>        components, which are components (like actors) that operate on
>        other components rather than directly on data.
>      * Interactive decorations in Vergil diagrams.
>        Actors can have custom icons, diagrams can be decorated with
>        decorative elements, and parameters of the icons and decorative
>        elements can be tied to values compute by the model.
>      * Reconfiguration analysis
>        A new capability helps to ensure the safe use of reconfiguration.
>        Currently it is primarily used by the code generator to ensure
>        that synchronous dataflow rate parameters are constant over the
>        lifetime of the model. This analysis also enables parameterized
>        static scheduling of some models where rate parameters change only
>        between iterations of a sub-model.
>      * Causality analysis
>        A new (and still evolving) capability unifies causality analysis
>        that is required by several domains. It provides a systematic
>        framework for determining whether events at a particular input
>        affect a particular output.
>      * Copernicus
>        The copernicus code generator has matured significantly:
>           + Better handling of data types, reconfiguration, and
>             attributes other than simple parameters.
>           + Code Generation for the Giotto domain.
>           + A primitive code generator for generating atomic actors from
>             models.
>           + Static analysis of reachable code for generating
>             self-contained jar files.
> 
> 
> Plans
> -----
>    This release includes only the documentation for VisualSense, the
>    Ptolemy User's Manual has not yet been updated.
> 
>    Our plan is to release Ptolemy II 4.0-beta sometime in the second
>    week of May.  
>    Once the documents are updated, we will release another version,
>    probably sometime in May or June.
> 
>    Ptolemy II 4.0-alpha is primarily for testing by seasoned developers
>    and people who have used Ptolemy II before.  
> 
> Bugs
> ----
>    The Ptolemy II 4.0-alpha limitations are listed in:
>    http://ptolemy.eecs.berkeley.edu/ptolemyII/ptII4.0/ptII4.0-alpha/doc/ptII4.0
>     .release.htm
>    The Vergil welcome window has a link to a similar list.
> 
>    If you find bugs, check the limitations page inside Vergil, then
>    check http://ptolemy.eecs.berkeley.edu/ptolemyII/ptII4.0/limitations.htm
>    and then send email to ptolemy at eecs.berkeley.edu
> 
>    In your email, please be sure to include:
> 
>    * What operating system you are operating under (Windows XP sp1?
>      Solaris 8?)
>    * What version of Java you are running. (Run java -version, or use our
>      Java Version Applet at
>      http://ptolemy.eecs.berkeley.edu/ptolemyII/ptII4.0/JavaVersionApplet.htm
>    * Whether the problem occurs in
>      * Vergil
>      * The local version of the web pages
>      * The PtolemyII 4.0-alpha website version of the web pages
>      * The Web Start version
> 
> 
> -Christopher
> 
> Christopher Hylands Brooks cxh at eecs.berkeley.edu  University of California
> Programmer/Analyst Chess/Ptolemy/GSRC         US Mail: 558 Cory Hall #1770
> ph: 510.643.9841 fax:510.642.2739	      Berkeley, CA 94720-1770
> home: (F-Tu) 707.665.0131 (W-F) 510.655.5480  (office: 400A Cory)