<body>
+ <h2>What is <acronym>deal.II</acronym>?</h2>
+
+ <p>
+ <acronym>deal.II</acronym> is a C++ program library targeted at
+ adaptive finite elements and error estimation. It uses
+ state-of-the-art programming techniques of the C++ programming
+ language to offer you a modern interface to the complex data
+ structures and algorithms required for adaptivity and enables you
+ to use a variety of finite elements in one, two, and three space
+ dimensions, as well as time-dependent problems.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ The main aim of <acronym>deal.II</acronym> is to enable
+ development of modern finite element algorithms, using among other
+ aspects sophisticated error estimators and adaptive
+ meshes. Writing such programs is a non-trivial task, and
+ successful programs tend to become very large and complex. We
+ therefore believe that this is best done using a program library
+ that frees the application programmer from aspects like grid
+ handling and refinement, handling of degrees of freedom, input
+ of meshes and output of results in graphics formats, and the
+ like. Also, support for several space dimensions at once is
+ included in a way such that programs can be written independent of
+ the space dimension without unreasonable penalties on run-time and
+ memory consumption.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ <acronym>deal.II</acronym> emerged from the work at the
+ <a href="http://gaia.iwr.uni-heidelberg.de" target="_top">
+ Numerical Methods Group</a> of the University of Heidelberg, which
+ is at the forefront of adaptive finite element methods and error
+ estimators. It is used in several large research projects in
+ Heidelberg and elsewhere.
+ </p>
+
+
+ <h2>What <acronym>deal.II</acronym> can offer you</h2>
+
+ <p>
+ If you are active in the field of adaptive finite element methods,
+ <acronym>deal.II</acronym> might be the right library for your
+ projects. Among other features, it offers:
+ </p>
+
+ <ul>
+ <li> <p>
+ Support for one, two, and three space dimensions, using a
+ unified interface that enables writing programs almost
+ dimension independent.
+ </p>
+
+ <li> <p>
+ Handling of locally refined grids, including algorithms to
+ adaptively refine them, using error indicators and
+ estimators.
+ </p>
+
+ <li> <p>
+ Support for a variety of finite elements, including Lagrange
+ elements of order one through four, and discontinuous
+ elements.
+ </p>
+
+ <li> <p>
+ Extensive documentation: about 200 pages of tutorials,
+ several reports, and far more than 1,000 pages of programming
+ interface documentation with explanations of all classes,
+ functions, and variables.
+ </p>
+
+ <li> <p>
+ Modern software techniques that make access to the complex
+ data structures and algorithms as transparent as possible.
+ </p>
+
+ <li> <p>
+ Fast algorithms that enable you to solve problems with
+ up to several millions of degrees of freedom quickly.
+ </p>
+
+ <li> <p>
+ Support for several output formats, including some common
+ formats for visualisation of scientific data.
+ </p>
+
+ <li> <p>
+ Support for a variety of computer platforms, including
+ multiprocessor machines.
+ </p>
+
+ <li> <p>
+ Free source code under an Open Source license, and the
+ invitation to contribute to further development of the
+ library.
+ </p>
+ </ul>
+
+
<h2>Online documentation</h2>
<acronym>deal.II</acronym> has quite extensive online
<li> <p>Programming interface documentation: the classes and methods
in the library are extensively documented (presently
- approximately 1250 pages if printed). We write this
- documentation directly into the source code, which makes it
- much easier to keep it up to date, and use automatic tools to
- extract it into HTML or into printable formats.
- </p>
-
- <p>
- This API documentation is split into several parts, according
+ approximately 1250 pages if printed). This API documentation
+ is split into several parts, according
to the sub-libraries and the different directories of the main
<acronym>deal.II</acronym> library:
<ul>
<li> <a href="auto/kdoc/base/index.html" target="body">
- <code>/base</code> library</a>,
+ <code>/base</code> library</a>: a set of classes not
+ specifically related to finite elements, but
+ nonetheless important for the overall library,
<li> <a href="auto/kdoc/lac/index.html" target="body">
- <code>/lac</code> library</a>: <B>L</B>inear
- <B>A</B>lgebra <B>C</B>lasses,
+ <code>/lac</code> library</a>: <em>L</em>inear
+ <em>a</em>lgebra <em>c</em>lasses,
<li> <a href="auto/kdoc/grid/index.html" target="body">
Grid handling</a> in the
<code>/deal.II</code> library,
projects / dealii-svn.git / commitdiff