Re: matrix library ?

From: walter_at_[hidden]
Date: 2001-03-12 15:20:36

Hello,

Toon Knapen wrote:

> Would there be any interest in developing a multi-dimensional array
> (vector, matrix, ...) library at Boost ?

Definitely yes.

> Following features would at least have to be in there:
> _ templated value_type

Yes.

> _ Expression Templates for performant and easy interface (e.g. `y = 
A *
> x + b` without tmp's)

The only vague alternative approach seems to be lazy evaluation 
(without expression templates).
Mathematical notation is a necessity, otherwise we should stay with 
Fortran :-).

> _ dense and sparse matrices

Sparse matrices seem somewhat controversial to me. BLAS for example 
handles only certain types of dense matrices like general, symmetric, 
banded etc. BLAS does not support sparse matrices.

> _ support for slices / subarrays

Yes.

> _ common linear algebra operations (addition, multiplication of
> matrices, ....)

Yes, to be more specific: a boost matrix library should enable us to 
emulate BLAS.

> There are already some libraries doing all/some of the above ...

... very well :-).

IMHO libraries to mention are:
BLAS
Blitz++
POOMA
MTL

One may doubt, whether we are able to determine goals, which justify 
a boost approach to a new matrix library.

Kind regards

J. Walter