November 1998

Dear OOF Users --

  Here is an update on a few important topics.

  1) We are looking for a POST-DOC!

  2) Please fill out the OOF questionnaire! If you are using OOF, or
     even just thinking about it, we need your input in order to keep
     the project going.

  3) Changes to the code, and the status of ports to other
     architecture.


------------------------

1) POSTDOC

We are looking for a post-doc to work on OOF with Steve Langer and Ed
Fuller at the NIST Center for Theoretical and Computational Materials
Science and (some of the time) with Craig Carter at MIT.  Applicants
should have a background in materials science or physics, and
extensive experience in object-oriented programming, especially using
C++.  Please send a letter including a detailed description of your
computing experience, resume, and letters of recommendation to

  Stephen Langer
  NIST
  100 Bureau Drive -- Stop 8910
  Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8910

or via e-mail at

  stephen.langer@nist.gov

------------------------

2) QUESTIONNAIRE

For OOF to succeed we need feedback from users, and we need to be able
to tell our managers at NIST that OOF is being used in the real world.
Therefore, if you have not already done so, we ask that you mail the
answers to this questionnaire to us at

            oof_manager@ctcms.nist.gov 

Feel free to leave answers blank if you have nothing to say, or if you
just don't want to write any more. 

  1. Name: 
  2. e-mail address: 
  3. Affiliation: 
  4. Position: 
  5. Should we add you to the mailing list (if you're not already on it)? 
  6. Would you be interested in attending a workshop on OOF at NIST,
     Gaithersburg, in January or February of 1999 (or possibly later)?
  7. Are you actively using OOF in your research? 
  8. Are you thinking about using OOF in your research? 
  9. In what research projects are you using OOF, or in which of your
     projects might OOF be used to advantage? (Please do not disclose
     any proprietary or classified information.)
 10. What papers have you published using results from OOF? 
 11. What papers are in progress? 
 12. What features of OOF have been most helpful? 
 13. What features would you like to see added to OOF? Which would you
     find most important?
 14. Other comments, commendations, or critiques: 

    Thank you!

------------------------

3) Changes since the last newsletter:

OOF (from version 1.0 to version 1.0.3)
 * Made the question mark cursor like the one in PPM2OOF, with the
     hotspot below the dot.

 * Fixed bug in "output force". Program would crash if system hadn't
     been equilibrated.

 * Fixed bug in application of incremental distortions when a node was
     in two fixed groups. For example,
            OOF >> bc fix both (top; right)
            OOF >> distort (set (xshift = .1; right) increment)
     didn't move the top right node.


PPM2OOF (from version 1.0 to version 1.0.2)

 * Fixed a memory leak. Each time pixels were selected, more memory
     was used, and the program could eventually run out of memory.

 * New demograyfy and demoRGB commands for pixel selection from
     menu. When the user clicks on a pixel while using the
     "demography" selection method, all pixels with a gray value
     (average of red, green, and blue) close to the given pixel's gray
     value are selected.  The new commands in the "select" menu are
     similar, but they let you type in the target gray value (for
     demograyfy) or RGB triplet (for demoRGB) instead of clicking on a
     pixel.


We are working on compiling OOF and PPM2OOF on a Sun.  We are having
difficulties due to non-standard C++ compilers, so we cannot promise
to have results soon.  When Sun versions are available, we will announce
them on this mailing list.


The OOF Team
    Steve Langer
    W. Craig Carter
    Ed Fuller