[Radiance-general] Plans for the future of the Radiance software
Konstantinos Papamichael
[email protected]
Mon, 3 Jun 2002 15:13:53 -0700
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_0042_01C20B11.49E21CA0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Dear Radiance Community,
This message is about the future of the Radiance software. Some changes
are in store and we want to inform you of our plans.
As you know, Berkeley Lab has been developing Radiance and distributing
Radiance executables at no cost to the public for over 10 years. The
Radiance source code has been available for academic and non-commercial
use at no charge for many years and several companies have purchased
licenses to distribute Radiance or Radiance-based products commercially.
During the last decade, a number of software developers have contributed
code to the Radiance software, complementing the main development
efforts supported at the Berkeley Lab. At present time, the funding for
Radiance related developments at Berkeley Lab is very limited, but there
is still strong interest by software developers to further enhance the
Radiance software because Radiance remains unique in its ability to
accurately simulate the propagation of light.
In investigating alternatives to leverage interest from the Radiance
community with the core code development from Berkeley Lab, we have
decided to make Radiance an "open source" software product. The goal of
this is to facilitate continuous development of enhanced versions of
Radiance, whether from bug fixes or additional features and
functionality, all of which we anticipate will be contributed by the
larger Radiance development community.
Subject to any required approvals from US DOE, we intend to launch
Radiance as an open source product on December 1, 2002. Beginning on
that date, Radiance source code and executables will be available for
download to any party for any use (commercial or non-commercial),
pursuant to an appropriate open source license agreement. These plans
also apply to the Radiance engine of the Desktop Radiance software and
are considered for other parts of the Desktop Radiance code as well.
We believe that this open source initiative represents an exciting step
forward in ensuring Radiance's continued technical development and
widespread adoption. We welcome your comments to our proposed plan by
June 30.
Regards,
Kostas Papamichael
Konstantinos Papamichael, Ph.D., Staff Scientist
Building Technologies Department
Environmental Energy Technologies Division
Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
1 Cyclotron Road, Mail Stop 90-3111, Berkeley, CA 94720
Phone: (510) 486-6854, Fax: (510) 486-4089, E-mail:
[email protected]
------=_NextPart_000_0042_01C20B11.49E21CA0
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<html>
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Dus-ascii">
<meta name=3DGenerator content=3D"Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)">
<style>
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoPlainText, li.MsoPlainText, div.MsoPlainText
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";}
span.EmailStyle17
{font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple>
<div class=3DSection1>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>Dear Radiance =
Community,</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>This message =
is about the
future of the Radiance software. Some changes are in store and we =
want to
inform you of our plans.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>As you know, =
Berkeley Lab
has been developing Radiance and distributing Radiance executables at no =
cost
to the public for over 10 years. The Radiance source code has been
available for academic and non-commercial use at no charge for many =
years and
several companies have purchased licenses to distribute Radiance or
Radiance-based products commercially.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>During the =
last decade, a
number of software developers have contributed code to the Radiance =
software,
complementing the main development efforts supported at the Berkeley =
Lab.
At present time, the funding for Radiance related developments at =
Berkeley Lab
is very limited, but there is still strong interest by software =
developers to
further enhance the Radiance software because Radiance remains unique in =
its
ability to accurately simulate the propagation of =
light.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>In =
investigating
alternatives to leverage interest from the Radiance community with the =
core
code development from Berkeley Lab, we have decided to make Radiance an
"open source" software product. The goal of this is to
facilitate continuous development of enhanced versions of Radiance, =
whether
from bug fixes or additional features and functionality, all of which we
anticipate will be contributed by the larger Radiance development =
community.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>Subject to any =
required
approvals from US DOE, we intend to launch Radiance as an open source =
product
on December 1, 2002. Beginning on that date, Radiance source code and
executables will be available for download to any party for any use =
(commercial
or non-commercial), pursuant to an appropriate open source license
agreement. These plans also apply to the Radiance engine of the =
Desktop
Radiance software and are considered for other parts of the Desktop =
Radiance
code as well.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>We believe =
that this open
source initiative represents an exciting step forward in ensuring =
Radiance's
continued technical development and widespread adoption. We =
welcome your
comments to our proposed plan by June 30.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>Regards,</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Kostas Papamichael</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoPlainText><font size=3D1 face=3D"Courier New"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
8.0pt'>Konstantinos Papamichael, Ph.D., Staff =
Scientist</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoPlainText><font size=3D1 face=3D"Courier New"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
8.0pt'>Building Technologies Department</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoPlainText><font size=3D1 face=3D"Courier New"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
8.0pt'>Environmental Energy Technologies Division</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoPlainText><font size=3D1 face=3D"Courier New"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
8.0pt'>Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National =
Laboratory</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoPlainText><font size=3D1 face=3D"Courier New"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
8.0pt'>1 Cyclotron Road, Mail Stop 90-3111, Berkeley, CA =
94720</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoPlainText><font size=3D1 face=3D"Courier New"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
8.0pt'>Phone: (510) 486-6854, Fax: (510) 486-4089, E-mail:
[email protected]</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>
------=_NextPart_000_0042_01C20B11.49E21CA0--