Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!kent
From: kent@swrinde.nde.swri.edu (Kent D. Polk)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Scientific Software for the Amiga
Keywords: NCSA, science, software
Message-ID: <28709@swrinde.nde.swri.edu>
Date: 11 Oct 90 23:28:41 GMT
Organization: Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas
Lines: 39

Please forgive me for not getting back sooner to all who have responded to the
scientific software discussions. I was quite inundated with mail. It was a
complete surprise considering I have brought this same discussion up twice
before in the two previous years with virtually no response.

Possible indications:
1) The Amiga is finally getting into the hands of scientists.
2) Amiga software and/or hardware has progressed to the point of being usable
   (or almost usable) to the scientific community.
3) Scientists with Amigas are finally getting connected to UseNet.
4) Scientists with Amigas are finally getting enough time to read UseNet articles.

Responses fell into three categories:
1) "I need software/hardware which does xxx"
2) "I agree, we need a way to connect."
3) "Where's the source, I'll see what I can do."

Well, to the last I can gladly say that the NCSA software is archived
at at the National Center for SuperComputing Applications at the
University of Illinois at Urbana Champ.  They placed the code in the
public domain, and have allowed (encouraged?) other developers to play
with it.  The source code is usually in "C".  It is available via
anonymous ftp from zaphon.ncsa.uiuc.edu.  There have been mentions of
other software & sites recently also.

To the second, I can only agree that we need a way of communicating our
capabilities and needs to the Amiga scientific community. Possibly a
mailing list so this stuff won't fill up comp.sys.amiga. Unfortunately
neither I nor any of the respondents seem to have the resources or time
to do this. Any offers to set this up? 

I have tried to archive names and information that resulted from this
discussion, but it is in disarray at the current time. Possibly I can
take time to clean things up to make it available.

Thanks,
Kent Polk: Southwest Research Institute (512) 522-2882
Internet : kent@swrinde.nde.swri.edu
UUCP     : $ {cs.utexas.edu, gatech!petro, sun!texsun}!swrinde!kent