Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 17:17:35 -0400 (EDT) From: Ed Fomalont Subject: Aug 07 meeting notes Summary of Aug 7 NAUG-testers meeting Attendees Socorro: W Brisken, C Brogan, M Claussen, B Glendenning S Myers, G Taylor Charlottesville: E Fomalont, J Hibbard ***See action items at the end of this summary Fomalont reported that the Release notes in http://aips2.aoc.nrao.edu/docs/project/releasenotes17/releasnotes17.html were virtually unchanged from the NAUG version of May. Contributions from other AIPS++ sites were not available, but a similar format should be used for future release notes. The AIPS++ development plan is not yet finalized, but most of the NAUG priorities are claimed to be in the list. the NAUG priorities, developed in May, were listed at the end of the agenda email on August 5. The NAUG will return to the meeting dates: 2nd and 4th Wednesdays for the NAUG tests and combined groups. Next meeting will be on August 28. There was some discussion of the Users' Committee report concerning AIPS++, and most of their recommendations are supported by the NAUG. Several questions associated with the report are: (1) How can the NAUG more effectively influence AIPS++ development and resource allocation; (2) How to distribute independent reports on the AIPS++ development which is informative and constructive without being corrosive to the effort; (3) Should the NAUG get involved with the E2E effort, which will rely heavily on AIPS++. After a discussion on AIPS++ documentation, we decided: --Finish, with Debra Shepherd in the lead, the "Telescope Specific Processing: VLA Reduction." This section, with George's help, has improved considerably over the last few months and we all agree that its completion is the highest level documentation effort for the NAUG over the next three months. --Other documentation efforts should wait for the completion of the VLA reduction document. Testing and defect submission is still the highest priority. --In order to improve the Users' Reference Manual, especially the addition of useful scripts in the manual, we suggest putting in appropriate enhancement requests during our testing. --Scripts used for the summer school will be placed in the Recipe section of the documentation. However, the Recipe repository of scripts has not increased much over the last six months. There is some thought that the rules for script making were too rigid and this has decreased the possible input. In any case, send Steve Myers any useful scripts which can be included in his web-site. Steve Myers and Brian Glendenning discussed the audit of AIPS++ by the ALMA group. This audit will be a comprehensive look at the capabilities of AIPS++ versus the needs for ALMA. Of course, there are large overlaps between ALMA needs and the general VLA needs that concern the NAUG. Brian stressed that it will be the improvement of AIPS++ over time, rather than specific missing functions, that would be the best judge of the viability of AIPS++ for ALMA. Some of the more important items now under audit are: --Can the gui be used without much learning? --Is there a good, simple cookbook? --What is the quality of the more detailed reference manual? --Is the data storage < 1.5 times that of the raw data? There was general agreement that the AIPS++ auditing, now being done by the ALMA and EVLA groups, is very useful for steering the AIPS++ development with good efficiency. Should the NAUG consider a similar audit approach? It was felt that it was too late for the VLA reduction in AIPS (although audit type lists were made several years ago), but that an audit of the needed VLBI processing in AIPS++ might be very useful. A brief report on recent NAUG work showed that summer school fatigue haf decreased the recent AIPS++ testing. Also, some of the calibration improvements have not yet been finished, so there is not much new to test. However, Walter Brisken stated that Dave King has improved the uv editing and display capabilities, and the NAUG should test the new features. Other tools are almost ready for release. ACTION ITEMS: ** Debra Shepherd et al. Continue working on the VLA reduction 'cook-book'. Getting access to the VLA reduction text is still to cumbersome (Check with Joe McMullin on this) ** All. Continued testing and defect reports continue to be the most important function of the NAUG. Pay some particular attention to User Reference Manual improvements and send in appropriate enhancements. Check with Joe to make sure that new AIPS++ features are reported to the NAUG, so that appropriate testing can be done. ** Fomalont (1st draft) The release notes should be expanded and become an evolving statement from the NAUG. It should cover the present capabilities of AIPS++, the list of missing options in some sort of priority order, and suggestions for better use of the AIPS++ resources. The goal is to have a reasonable draft by mid-September, to be distributed to the NAUG, AIPS++ group and to the director. ** Fomalont, Brisken, Claussen will try an AUDIT approach for AIPS++ development of VLBI.