From: Rob.Harper@CONVEX.CSC.FI (Rob Harper)
Newsgroups: bionet.software
Subject: Explorer FAQ
Date: 13 Apr 92 10:52:00 GMT
Distribution: bionet



>Path: funic!fuug!mcsun!uknet!edcastle!dcs.ed.ac.uk!epcc.ed.ac.uk!gordonc
>From: gordonc@epcc.ed.ac.uk (Gordon Cameron)
>Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi
>Subject: oOo Explorer FAQ oOo
>Message-ID: <31531@skye.dcs.ed.ac.uk>
>Date: 12 Apr 92 18:54:34 GMT
>Sender: nnews@dcs.ed.ac.uk
>Organization: Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre
>Lines: 746

Regular-ish posting :
          oOo Explorer Frequently Asked Question List oOo
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                          Version 0.2

               Last Altered 12th April 1992 - G.C.

           !!!!! Please Redistribute this Article !!!!!!

+ Introduction +
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This document contains answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
asked of the Explorer Modular Visualisation Environment (MVE).

The latest update of this can always be obtained by FTP from :
        UK Site : ftp.epcc.ed.ac.uk (129.215.56.29)
(       US Mirror : swedishchef.lerc.nasa.gov (139.88.54.33)    )

If you wish to be part of the Explorer mailing list, comment on this
FAQ, add/alter/CORRECT any questions, or have any suggestions, please
email:
        explorer-request@castle.ed.ac.uk, or
        gordonc@epcc.ed.ac.uk

Where relevant and possible, the sources of information are listed after
the answers - many of the questions stem from those on the mailing
list. Direct quotes are indented.

N.B. The compilers of this FAQ are independent of SGI (developers of
Explorer) - this also means that any inaccuracies are most probably our
own faults ! Thanks to the XUG and the X FAQ for ideas.
                - Gordon Cameron (Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre)
                        gordonc@epcc.ed.ac.uk
                - Chris Thornborrow, Matthew White (EPCC)

Key :
~~~~~
        +       :       New since last update
        *       :       Changed since last update
        @       :       Bug question (+ fix)

+ Topics +
~~~~~~~~~~
A) TOPIC: GENERAL INFORMATION
 A.1) What is Explorer ?
 A.2) What platforms will Explorer run on/what are the requirements ?
 A.3) How can I get Explorer ?
 A.4) Modules, Maps & Ports - What are they ?
 A.5) What is the Map Editor/Librarian ?
 A.6) What Data Formats can Explorer handle ?
 A.7) What is the Data Scribe ?
 A.8) What is the Module Builder ?
 A.9) What are the MCW and MDW ?
 A.10) What is an MVE ?
 A.11) What other MVEs are there ?
 A.12) Is there any overlap between ImageVision and Explorer ?
-
B) TOPIC: RUNNING EXPLORER
 B.1) Why does Explorer crash immediately ? +
 B.2) Can I run Explorer on one machine and display on another ?
 B.3) Can I run modules on different machines ?
 B.4) How can I start Explorer with a prefined map ?
 B.5) Can I run Explorer in batch mode (i.e. without the GUI) ?
 B.6) Will Explorer work with very large data sets ?
 B.7) When does a module fire ?
 B.8) Why does Explorer run slowly on my system ?
 B.9) How can I customize the look of Explorer ?
-
C) TOPIC: USING EXPLORER with the MAP EDITOR
 C.1) Why does Explorer ignore all my input ? @
 C.2) Why can't I start a GenerateColormap module ?
 C.3) How can I stretch the librarian scrolling list ?
 C.4) How can I slice into an iso-surface ?
 C.5) How can I render translucent solids ?
 C.6) Why can I not get LatFunction to work ? +@
-
D) TOPIC: USING THE DATASCRIBE
 D.1) Why does the help file not reflect the actual widget ? @
-
E) TOPIC: USING THE MODULE BUILDER
-
F) TOPIC: PROGRAMMING MODULES
 F.1) How can I wake Explorer on events ?
 F.2) What has happened to the routine cxInputPortStateGet ? @
-
G) TOPIC: MODULES AVAILABLE/WANTED
 G.1) Where can I get PD modules ? +
-
H) TOPIC: FURTHER INFORMATION
 H.1) Where can I obtain documentation (e.g. Module Writers' Guide) ? *
 H.2) Is there a mailing list/FTP site ? *
 H.3) Is there a relevant newsgroup ?
 H.4) Why are the electronic PostScript files incomplete ? *
-
I) TOPIC: MISCELLANEOUS
 I.1) How can I add/correct or comment on Q&As on the FAQ ?
 I.2) Where can I find a list of bugs ? +
-

+ Full Q&As +
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
======================================================================
A) TOPIC: GENERAL INFORMATION
======================================================================
A.1) What is Explorer ?

        IRIS Explorer is an application creation system and user
        environment that provides visualisation and analysis
        functionality for computational scientists, engineers, and
        other investigators. It is especially useful for those whose
        needs are not met by commercial software packages. Also, IRIS
        Explorer's Graphical User Interface (GUI) allows users to build
        custom applications without having to write a single line of
        code.

                        [from IRIS EXPLORER - Technical Report(SGI)]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A.2) What platforms will Explorer run on/what are the requirements ?

Explorer is included at no cost with each Silicon Graphics
workstation.  Explorer can be ordered for existing workstations at a
nominal media charge. It is also available from Cray Research for Cray
Research computers, and it is hinted that the package will be ported
soon(#:-} to other platforms.

On SGI platforms, requirements are that the machine have a 24 bit plane
(or virtual 24 bit plane) frame buffer i.e. All except Personal Irises
with 8 bit planes. In addition, 16MB is the minimum memory requirement,
although 24 megs is recommended, especially when the data sets to be
visualised are particularly large.

In particular, you must be running version 4.0.1 of the OS, or higher.

                        [Leo Blume(SGI) and Release Notes for Explorer]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A.3) How can I get Explorer ?

Contact your local SGI supplier for details of what Explorer is available
on, and how to obtain it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A.4) Modules, Maps & Ports - What are they ?

A MODULE is a single software tool for performing a particular task.
Explorer is shipped along with a wide range of modules to perform tasks
such as data input, rendering, image processing and manipulation. Each
module has associated input and output PORTS which control the flow of
data in and out of the module.

Modules are connected together to form pipelines which perform specific
higher level tasks. The collection of such modules and the links between
them are referred to as Explorer MAPS. The function of the map is implicitly
defined by the functions of the modules and their interconnectivity.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A.5) What is the Map Editor/Librarian ?

The Map Editor and Librarian are the two main windows that are used
when you use Explorer.

The MAP EDITOR is a graphical tool for assembling the maps by picking
modules and joining them together in an intuitive manner. The editor
will only allow the connection of input/output port pairs of the same
data type, so Explorer is a `strongly typed system'.  The map editor is
effectively the interactive prototyping environment of Explorer.

The LIBRARIAN is the tool which allows you to browse through existing
modules and maps, to choose those which you wish to use with the map
editor.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A.6) What Data Formats can Explorer handle ?

Explorer works on 5 main types of data :
        Parameter : Scalar values such as integers and doubles.
        Lattice : A Generalized multi-dimensional array.
        Pyramid : Combines lattices with connectivity information in
                a hierarchical structure.
        Geometry: A general, hierarchical, geometric description.
        Unknown : An uninterpreted stream of bytes

The first four types will be consistent between modules perhaps
executing on different machine architectures, whereas the last unknown
type does not have this feature (unless the user adds XDR-like data
conversion him/herself).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A.7) What is the Data Scribe ?

The DataScribe is a graphical utility to allow the user to build
templates which can convert data between formats - this is typically
used to convert a customized user data file into a lattice(say) and
vice versa.

These data conversion templates, when completed, constitute modules in
Explorer which can be used in the same fashion as any other module.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A.8) What is the Module Builder ?

The Module Builder is a graphical utility to aid in the creation of
Explorer modules, by helping you define which data types the module has
on its input and output ports, which widgets correspond to which
parameters, and how the module will look when placed in the Map
Editor.

The Module Builder can also automatically generate one of the extra
layers of wrapping around the core function, namely the  Module Data
Wrapper (MDW).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A.9) What are the MCW and MDW ?

The innermost layer of an Explorer module is the computational
algorithm which provides the base functionality.  This is surrounded
first by the Module Data Wrapper (MDW) - which can be generated
automatically by the Module Builder - and this performs the conversion
of data from Explorer format at ports to the algorithm's internal
format, and vice versa.

The outermost layer is the Module Control Wrapper (MCW) which is the layer
responsible for communicating the module's input and output (Explorer)
data with other modules, and maintaining data consistency (a la XDR).
This layer also handles comms with the local controller and the firing
mechanism.

The MCW is necessary whereas the MDW may be bypassed by the programmer
if desired, allowing direct access to data at the ports.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A.10) What is an MVE ?

A Modular Visualisation Environment (MVE) is a package for data
visualisation consisting of a user interface allowing linking of
modules in a pipeline. Explorer is an example of an MVE.

                        [ Chris Thornborrow, EPCC ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A.11) What other MVEs are there ?

Other MVEs include :
        AVS - now marketed by AVS (see comp.graphics.avs)
        apE - originally developed by Ohio Supercomputer Centre
        Khoros - developed by University of New Mexico
                (see comp.soft-sys.khoros)

It would probably be more correct to define Khoros as a MAB (Module
Application Builder) , as it is not aimed solely at visualisation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A.12) Is there any overlap between ImageVision and Explorer

ImageVision is an object oriented image processing library that
currently has about 70 image processing functions. The architecture of
ImageVision is designed to handle virtually any size and data typed
image. The ImageVision library runs on all SGI machines and on a Cray.

The image processing modules of Explorer were developed using ImageVision,
and these modules in Explorer map directly to single ImageVision objects.

                                [Nancy Cam - SGI]
======================================================================
B) TOPIC: RUNNING EXPLORER
======================================================================
B.1) Why does Explorer crash immediately ?

The main reasons that Explorer will crash on startup (on an SGI machine)
are :
        a) Wrong OS
        b) Incorrect installation

a) Explorer on an SGI requires IRIX v4.0.1 or later.

b)

        If you use the "-r" option on "inst" when installing Explorer,
        the X11 resource default files do not get installed correctly.

        Similarly, if you NFS mount /usr/explorer from a file server,
        these default resource files are not installed on your
        machine.  If you must install Explorer somewhere other than
        /usr/explorer, first create /usr/explorer as a symbolic link to
        a directory somewhere else, then install Explorer.  If you have
        installed Explorer with "inst -r" or if you NFS mount it from
        another machine, you can set up the necessary symbolic links
        for the X11 app-default files and the shared libraries by using
        the command (as root):
            inst -f /usr/explorer/lib/inst/explorer

        This will establish symbolic links in /usr/lib for those files
        that must be present on every machine that runs Explorer.  This
        is explained in section 2.3.1 of the Release Notes. (from SGI)

                                [SGI]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B.2) Can I run Explorer on one machine and display on another ?

Explorer itself can run on one machine and display on ANY other machine
running an X server. However, the modules Render and DisplayImg will
only display/function on machines with GL hardware.

The Module Builder and Datascribe can run and display on any X terminal.

Since Explorer/Module Builder/DataScribe are X Motif applications, to
get these to run externally and  display on your local workstation
running an X server, set your display variable on the external machine
before executing the program in the usual fashion. e.g.
a) On Local Machine :
        xhost +<remote_machine_name>

b) On Remote Machine :
        setenv DISPLAY <local_machine_name>:0.0
        explorer
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B.2) Can I run modules on different machines ?

Modules within an Explorer map can execute on different machines,
provided that those machines have the execution environment of Explorer
ported to them.  For example, in a network of 5 SGI w/stations, each of
the 5 modules of an Explorer map can be running on a different
workstation.  This is achieved by pulling up a librarian for each of
the machines on which you wish to execute modules. The librarian for
these machines will show which modules are available, and these can be
placed in a map in the same manner in which local modules are placed.
Everything will `look' the same, except that the remote modules will
fire and execute on the remote machines - this could be referred to as
a form of coarse grain parallelism.

At present, the execution environment is ported to SGI and Cray platforms,
so modules can only execute on these machine types.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B.3) How can I start Explorer with a prefined map ?

To run explorer with a predefined map, type :
        explorer -map <mapname>

,and the map will appear in the Map Editor when it starts up.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B.4) Can I run Explorer in batch mode (i.e. without the GUI) ?

        Version 1.0 does not have a non-GUI capability.  There are
        designs being kicked around, but we believe that a totally
        non-GUI solution is not the full answer, since the "answer"
        produced by an Explorer map may in fact be an image that you
        want to view.  On the other hand, some Explorer maps may only
        filter data, produce geometry into a file and not incorporate
        viewing at all.  This "batch mode" would be useful for very
        long animation runs, for example.

        Khoros also lets single modules to run "standalone".  We don't
        see this as a requirement for Explorer, except that it could
        make module debugging simpler -- one of our short-term goals.
        Being able to debug a module without all of Explorer hanging
        around would be really nice, especially as debugging tools take
        more and more resources from the machine.

                                [ Bob Brown - SGI ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B.5) Will Explorer work with very large data sets ?

The easiest option if you have very large modules is to purchase more
memory, but this only extends so far.

        Large data sets:
        This is a general weakness of data flow systems.  We have a few
        ideas for helping out, but it becomes very complicated when you
        want to preserve a conceptually simple programming model.  Can
        we offer an alternative execution model (that is, how things
        really compute and share data) yet maintain a simple
        programming model (that is, how the user states what is
        wanted).

                                [ Bob Brown - SGI ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B.6) When does a module fire ?

Module inputs can be optional or required, and if the former then the module
can happily fire without any input on that port. If the port is required,
then a module won't fire until it has data on that port.

When new data arrives at a required port, then the module fires.

Question:
        We reckon that it would be `nice to have' a template matching
        type operation at the input of each module, so that intelligent
        decisions can be made as to WHEN to fire a module. e.g. don't
        fire a module when ANY of its inputs change, but be able to
        choose how a module will fire and how many of its inputs are
        REQUIRED before a successful fire - this sort of thing would be
        useful in animations involving multiple file reads.
                                [ Gordon Cameron - EPCC ]

The reply :
        We spent a lot of effort on this in the design phases, and came
        up with an overly powerful scheme that would be practically
        unusable, so it did not appear in V1.0.  The degree of
        flexibility that can be offered seems too great, particularly
        when youconsider the possibility of being able to
        programmatically add and delete ports.

        Of course, using cxInputDataChanged judiciously will let you
        essentially write your own inner firing rules.  However, this
        may break future versions of the firing algorithm.  Also, if
        you have a non-MDW module and never issue a cxInputDataGet call
        on a port with new data, cxInputDataChanged will always report
        that there is new data on the port.  You must use
        cxInputDataGet to change the port data state from "new" to
        "old".
                                [ Bob Brown - SGI ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B.7) Why does Explorer run slowly on my system ?
                                [ Jack Gallant - Caltech ]

        The overhead of X windows and Motif is not insignificant.  Two
        factors can really slow down Explorer: insufficient memory and
        NFS mounting /usr/explorer.  The first one we can help out
        with, but the second one is out of our hands for the most part
        (having local copies of the shared libraries can help,
        though).
                                [ Bob Brown - SGI ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B.8) How can I customize the look of Explorer ?

Explorer, and the Data Scribe and Module Builder are all X/Motif
applications, and have several resources which can be altered so that the
tools' appearance can be customised. Look at the explorer directory
[/usr/explorer]/lib/X11/app-defaults to see what's what. (The directory
enclosed in square brackets is the home of Explorer on your system).
======================================================================
C) TOPIC: USING EXPLORER with the MAP EDITOR
======================================================================
C.1) Why does Explorer ignore all my input ?

A possibility is that you have closed the main Explorer window, and an
error has been generated - if you have closed the small gui window,
then the error diagnostic will not appear on the screen, and the entire
interface will appear to hang. However, opening the gui window again
will rectify matters.

                        [ Leo Blume - SGI ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
C.2) Why can't I start a GenerateColormap module ?

If you have applications running that have allocated colormap cells, then
the number of cells available to GenerateColormap is reduced, so that only
one (or perhaps no) GenerateColormap will be able to execute.

One way round this is to reconfigure the X server, and this is
described in Appendix B of the User Guide (also supplied electronically
with the release) - what you end up doing is in effect choosing a
different visual.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
C.3) How can I stretch the librarian scrolling list ?

You can't #:-} , at least not in Explorer 1.0
                        [ Roy Hashimoto - SGI ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
C.4) How can I slice into an iso-surface ?

Full Question :
        I've tried orthoslice, it will move the slice plane into the
        data but the full iso-surface is still there, the outside is
        not cut away.
                                [ Gus Williams ]

Answers:
        The slices generated by Orthoslice won't cut away the
        isosurface.  Orthoslice and IsosurfaceLat generate completely
        independent geometry that is composited in the renderer.  It
        might be nice, though, to have this capability in the future.

        For the present, you can use SampleCrop to do that or just
        adjust the transparency on the isosurface so that you can see
        through it to the cutting plane.
                                [ Leo Blume - SGI ]

        ...you can use CropLattice to crop the
        lattice before taking the isosurfaces.  I'm not sure how it
        could be done any other way with the standard module set.
                                [ Robert Skinner - SGI ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
C.5) How can I render translucent solids ?

You can pass your data through the module VolumetoGeom and then on to
the Render module. VolumetoGeom makes use of a technique known as
"splatting" to visualise volumes like this - a good reference is :

        Hierarchical Splatting: A Progressive Refinement Algorithm for
        Volume Rendering by David Laur and Pat Hanrahan.

.and this paper appeared at SIGGRAPH '91.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
C.6) Why can I not get LatFunction to work ?

Explorer has a known bug in LatFunction...The following is a long
answer, and will be condensed in time.


Problem a) - Why can I never get LatFunction to work?

        The problem is that if LatFunction's "Program File" typein does
        not refer to an existing file, then the module's interpreter
        gets confused and will never work correctly on any program file
        thereafter.  Unfortunately, the empty string (the default when
        LatFunction is brought up from the librarian) is such an
        invalid name and will confuse the module.

        Thus, the symptom you will see is that the user instantiates a
        LatFunction module, types in a file name, and gets errors. e.g.

                float f[2,3,4];
                Second_Out := First_In;

        yields the error message :
                [Unbound symbol: First_In]

        This identifies problem a) - when you instantiate LatFunction,
        it tries to read file "" and fails.

Solution a)

        All you have to do is instantiate a LatFunction module
        with the Program File name in place. You can do this by
        duplicating the brain-dead LatFunction -- the new
        LatFunction<2> will work as expected (delete the old module
        after duplicating a new one).  You can also save the
        LatFunction module with typed-in name in a map and load that
        map.

        Also, LatFunction-based modules (see the MWG, chapter 4) are
        less prone to this problem for two reasons. This makes them
        easier to work with than plain LatFunction. The first reason is
        that LatFunction-based modules typically have a filename
        specified, so these will work even when dragged from the
        librarian. The second :reason is that they typically have
        required port data, so they will not fire when instantiated,
        thus giving you time to type the right filename.

        ==========================================================

Problem b) - Why does LatFunction give me the "[Unbound
                symbol:...]" error message and refuse to work ?

        This is the same as problem a). The "[Unbound symbol: ...]"
        message is LatFunction's way of saying that it is confused.

Solution b)

        As solution for Problem a).

        ==========================================================

Problem c) - Why does LatFunction sometimes give an error
        "[Unbound symbol:...]" on some line after I edit my
        file, but then not give the error the next time I read
        in the file?

        This is related to problems 1 and 2. In this case the parsed program
        is referenced incorrectly and the interpreter exhibits the same type
        of confusion as before. However, this error is recoverable by
        reparsing the Shape program file (type <CR> in the "Program File"
        typein).

Solution c)
        Reparse the Shape program file (type <CR> in the "Program File"
        typein).
                                        [SGI]

======================================================================
D) TOPIC: USING THE DATASCRIBE
======================================================================
D.1) Why does the help file not reflect the actual widget ?

In some cases, the DataScribe can get confused with consistency between
doc and .help files, but there is a workaround. The following Q&A from
the list illustrates a specific example.

Original Question :
        I created a module using the data scribe which had a file
        browser widget. When I edited the .help file produced the
        following lines were present ..

                pbmascii -- Text
                  <Describe the purpose of the widget here>

        Note that the widget is described as text, not file browser. Is
        this deliberate - I can see how it would be as the file browser
        widget is really an elaborate text widget ?
                                [ Chris Thornborrow - EPCC ]

Solution :
        This looks like a bug.  dot-help files are derived from dot-doc
        files.  When you do a "Save" from the datascribe, it appears to
        not rewrite the doc file (even if you changed a widget type,
        say, from Text to File Browser) but it does regenerate the help
        file from the doc file.

        I tried your example and that is what happened.  My guess is
        that you had previously saved when "pbmascii" was really a Text
        widget, then you changed it to a browser and saved again.

        Remove your dot-doc file and do a Save again from datascribe.
        That should fix things up.  Or, if you've already edited the
        doc file, bring up the module builder on your module and select
        "Update Document" under the "Build" menu.
                                [ Bob Brown - SGI ]
======================================================================
E) TOPIC: USING THE MODULE BUILDER
======================================================================
======================================================================
F) TOPIC: PROGRAMMING MODULES
======================================================================
E.1) How can I wake Explorer on events ?

        I would like wake-up Explorer on the following event:
                one descriptor is ready for reading/writing
                                [ F. Lapique ]

This has to be done using X directly. The following details how :

        In Version 1.0 Explorer the only way to do this is through X
        windows.  Make your module an X module (in the Build
        Options...  window in the module builder) and then you can use
        the XtAddInput mechanism to register a callback procedure with
        the scheduler.  The Xt manual describes how to use XtAddInput;
        it is relatively simple and straightforward.  We don't have
        code examples, but if you have trouble, let me know and I'll
        write one up.  Another user has reported success at doing
        this.

        Be aware that execution highlighting will not occur when your
        callback is called.  This is because the module isn't "really"
        firing.  In fact, you should not call cxOutputDataSet() or
        cxOutputDataFlush() from the callback.  Instead, if you want to
        send data downstream, use cxFireASAP() from the XtAddInput()
        callback to schedule the firing of your computation routine,
        and maintain some state that lets that routine know what's
        what.

        The next version generalizes this mechanism by adding a
        cxAddInput routine that works the same way, but doesn't
        (necessarily) use X windows.  (We haven't announced a release
        schedule for the next version).

                                [ Bob Brown - SGI ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
E.2) What has happened to the routine cxInputPortStateGet ?

There is no such routine, and it shouldn't appear in the documentation.
To emulate the stated effect, do :

cxInputConnectsGet()    // To tell if port is connected
cxInputDataGet()        // returns 0 for no data
cxInputDataChanged()    // to find if data there is new or old

                                [ Dave Foulser - SGI ]
======================================================================
G) TOPIC: MODULES AVAILABLE/WANTED
======================================================================
G.1) Where can I get PD modules ?

There are a few modules available by anon. FTP, including one
to enable/disable geometry information. Many more modules should
appear very soon.

See the FAQ header for FTP addresses etc...
======================================================================
H) TOPIC: FURTHER INFORMATION
======================================================================
H.1) Where can I obtain documentation ?

Compressed electronic copies of Postscript documents are supplied with
the release of Explorer. Only certain chapters and an Appendix appear
in the directory [/usr/explorer]/doc/userguide, though. You can obtain
the complete User Guide, Module Writer's Guide and Module Definitions
guide by getting in touch with SGI, who can supply bound copies.

The electronic source for the Module Writer's guide is now
available by anon. FTP !! (see header for addresses)

The contact number I have for info on SGI is (415) 960-1980.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
H.2) Is there a mailing list/FTP site ?

At present there is an Explorer mailing list for discussion on all aspects
of the package. The list was started in March of '92, and has around 250
subscribers (not including feeds) - several of the developers of Explorer
are subscribed, so the list provides a good forum for discussion which may
change the shape of future versions.

To join the list, or to get further details, send some mail to :
        explorer-request@castle.ed.ac.uk

There is also an FTP site which contains archives of postings to the
explorer mailing list, as well as many other things including a User
List and an up to date FAQ(this!), and it is hoped that this site will
develop into a store for PD modules in time. There are a few modules
here just now, but many more are expected soon.

The site can be contacted as :
        ftp.epcc.ed.ac.uk (129.215.56.29)
, and supports anonymous FTP. The explorer directory is /pub/explorer.

In addition, Jeff Hanson has kindly mirrored this site in the US as :
        swedishchef.lerc.nasa.gov (139.88.54.33))
----------------------------------------------------------------------
H.3) Is there a relevant newsgroup ?

At present (31st March 1992) there is no newsgroup specifically for
the discussion of Explorer-related issues, although this may well
change in the near future.

However, the groups comp.sys.sgi and comp.graphics.visualization are
certainly useful, and often relevant #:-}
----------------------------------------------------------------------
H.4) Why are the electronic PostScript files incomplete ?
The SGI Explorer is supplied with a directory /doc, which contains
the userguide in PostScript form. This is missing Chapter 1 and the
first Appendix. The explanation SGI give is as follows :

        Chapter 1 is the "Getting Started" guide that comes with the
        Explorer CD or tape. The missing appendix contains the module
        manual pages, which are accessible via the Unix "man" command.

        The release notes are on-line and can be viewed by using the
        "grelnotes" command.

        The Module Writer's Guide is not in the software distribution
        in this release because of differing production schedules for
        the software and documentation.  It may be included in future
        releases. (from SGI)

The Module Writers' Guide is now available by FTP in electronic
version.
======================================================================
I) TOPIC: MISCELLANEOUS
======================================================================
I.1) How can I add/correct or comment on Q&As on the FAQ ?

Mail explorer-request@castle.ed.ac.uk . Simple !

I.2) Where can I find a list of bugs ?

A few bugs are listed in this FAQ. Others can be found by looking
at the file in the /pub/explorer/bugs directory at the FTP site.




--
e|p Gordon Cameron                      |     Phone:+44 31 650 5024(Rm. 2259)
c|c Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre |     Email: gordonc@epcc.ed.ac.uk
    oOo The University of Edinburgh oOo |    'So far so good, so now so what'