Comments on: Bringing open source to astronomy http://sarahaskew.net/2009/03/28/bringing-open-source-to-astronomy/ sarahaskew.net Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:47:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Shank’s Pony versus Decadal Supertanker « The e-Astronomer http://sarahaskew.net/2009/03/28/bringing-open-source-to-astronomy/comment-page-1/#comment-313 Shank’s Pony versus Decadal Supertanker « The e-Astronomer Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:13:15 +0000 http://sarahaskew.wordpress.com/?p=701#comment-313 [...] including the loss of physical contact with telescopes, open source software in astronomy (see Sarah’s post), and the energy consumption of astronomers. This last one, led by Brit ex-pat Phil Marshall, also [...] [...] including the loss of physical contact with telescopes, open source software in astronomy (see Sarah’s post), and the energy consumption of astronomers. This last one, led by Brit ex-pat Phil Marshall, also [...]

]]> By: Alasdair Allan http://sarahaskew.net/2009/03/28/bringing-open-source-to-astronomy/comment-page-1/#comment-315 Alasdair Allan Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:10:20 +0000 http://sarahaskew.wordpress.com/?p=701#comment-315 Funnily enough, being a worryingly senior software guy still in astronomy, I've had things to say about this... http://www.dailyack.com/2008/11/worryingly-senior.html Funnily enough, being a worryingly senior software guy still in astronomy, I’ve had things to say about this…

http://www.dailyack.com/2008/11/worryingly-senior.html

]]> By: Tim J http://sarahaskew.net/2009/03/28/bringing-open-source-to-astronomy/comment-page-1/#comment-314 Tim J Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:56:01 +0000 http://sarahaskew.wordpress.com/?p=701#comment-314 I'm not in science research, sadly, so I'm commenting somewhat as an outsider, but to me this sounds an excellent idea. It's clear that in general, the best software is developed by the people who have to use it; also that if you're using it for doing research with, you need to be able to trust it so will work to make it as rigorously reliable as you can. So hopefully we're talking about good quality software... So I'm wondering whether the software repository you're thinking about might also as a by-product act as a resource for software developers: showing them the alternative approaches, algorithms etc. that motivated scientists come up with. Though I'm making a big assumption here, namely that it's high quality software. And obviously, if you're sharing the code then effort can go into improving and building on it, rather than on writing it from scratch. I’m not in science research, sadly, so I’m commenting somewhat as an outsider, but to me this sounds an excellent idea. It’s clear that in general, the best software is developed by the people who have to use it; also that if you’re using it for doing research with, you need to be able to trust it so will work to make it as rigorously reliable as you can. So hopefully we’re talking about good quality software…

So I’m wondering whether the software repository you’re thinking about might also as a by-product act as a resource for software developers: showing them the alternative approaches, algorithms etc. that motivated scientists come up with.

Though I’m making a big assumption here, namely that it’s high quality software.

And obviously, if you’re sharing the code then effort can go into improving and building on it, rather than on writing it from scratch.

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