[SciPy-dev] the scipy mission, include finite element solver

[Robert Cimrman]

Robert Kern wrote:
> On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 16:47, Gael Varoquaux
> <gael.varoquaux at normalesup.org> wrote:
>> On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 04:43:46PM -0500, Robert Kern wrote:
>>> I conjecture, though, that the interface is the critical
>>> differentiator (ahem, no pun intended) between implementations.
>> Then let's have a good fight, and get over it :).
>>
>> Gaël
>>
>> PS: same thing for interpolation, and optimisation :P
> 
> I suspect the problems are much worse for PDEs than either of those.
> Just the different mesh representations alone make it difficult to
> provide a uniform implementation.

True enough. In SfePy, we describe problems (PDEs) to solve by using 
regular Python files, which is nice and easy, but the interface, i.e. 
all that can be in those files and understood by the solver, is rather 
tightly coupled with what the solver can do - its implementation. The 
topic of PDE solvers is really very broad, even if we restrict "just" to 
the finite element method, and there is not a silver bullet interface 
that would work for everybody.

Just my 2 cents, as a guy that writes finite element codes for 
not-so-small time.

r.