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Re: [this is the full note] the game's afoot, Watson


[I was just skimming your mail archive and saw this.  It's an
occasional topic of conversation at Berkeley.  Hopefully this
isn't too out-of-place.]

And Gerald Jungman writes on C++ linear algebra packages:
 - If you want to understand issues and methods, look at the
 - Blitz++ and TNT projects. Those are probably the two high
 - quality games in town.

Also be sure to look at MTL (http://www.lsc.nd.edu/research/mtl/).
The MTL is a great system for linear algebra libraries, although
it's license is too restrictive.  Dr. Lumsdaine is at LBL for a
few more months and will probably have an impact on a future C++ 
linear algebra semi-standard.

Blitz++ is more a matrix package than a linear algebra package.  
They both provide a high-performance matrix system, but Blitz++ 
focuses more on local operations within matrices and writing
operations like you would on paper.  The MTL has more of a global-
operation focus (e.g. factorizations) and looks more `traditional.'
They are both good, but not necessarily for the same uses.  The
MTL works well when you want a LAPACK that works well with C++
features.  Blitz++ works well when you want a fast matrix without 
the baggage, the type of thing you might want in an element-based, 
sparse, iterative solver.  I don't believe TNT is still active,
but I could be wrong.

[As a side note, the new version of a super-BLAS standard (BLAST)
is being finalized.  The draft is at
http://www.netlib.org/cgi-bin/checkout/blast/blast.pl .  To say
some of the new chapters are controversial is a bit of an
understatement.  Just something to keep an eye on.]

Jason, in the process of writing a (hopefully free) C++ framework
for sparse direct methods, yet another goal that's lead to failure
too many times...

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