Reply To: Toshiba's "Micro Nuclear Reactor" – it's not fusion, but it's here now

[Henning]

Developing this data processing application wouldn’t be a “micro volunteering” task, but more of a “virtual volunteering” as Rezwan would put it. It’s a classical “open source” development.

There are several levels of open-source developers:
* bug reporter / tester
* code contributor
* code maintainer
A code maintainer is a long-time volunteer who has deep understanding of the code. We need at least one maintainer who coordinates patches and coaches new code contributors. Most likely it’s just one person anyway, but he/she needs to understand the code globally.

The problem is, that the user base is very narrowed. Only the LPP Lab uses it. So they are the only ones that qualify for “bug reporter”, because they have the data and can assess the results. Other open source programs like Firefox need multiple layers of volunteers, but LPP would need someone more focused, at least one person.

As for the skill-set of the developer, LPP most likely not only needs a Java programmer, but maybe someone with a statistics or mathematical background. We’ll see, when the code is published.

Just my experience with developing the DPF filament simulation for LPP: As I am a “Java Enterprise Developer”, I’m mainly used to do data processing based on strings. Haven’t done any real calculation or mathematical algorithms in my professional career at all. That’s how I underestimated the task on developing the DPF filament simulation. I’ve done a particle-in-cell simulation for my master’s thesis, but LPP needed a fluid simulation. Luckily the programming of the simulation was mainly done by Jeff Schoen (in Java), and is now done by Warwick Dumas (in C++), physics by John Guillory. I was able to coach Warwick, but only because I’ve worked with Jeff’s solution before. Warwick’s doing all the magic now.

I reckon there about 10% percent computer programmers lurking here and half of them do Java. But it’s not like “I do some Java, I can do it for five minutes”. Maybe the task at hand is easier, just some image manipulation. Stuff you’ve learned in your computer science classes. So go ahead and do it, if you’re willing to put in more than five minutes.

Rezwan: Java is something completely different to JavaScript, which is more like Lisp. Don’t mix those two.