TODO.txt

To-Do List
==========

hodge-podge.c
-------------

- Improve error checking and handling

- Improve command-line argument syntax, parsing, and sanity-checking

- Consider building a Cython front end

- Let user provide initial cell states

- Detect when infection ceases -- i.e., when all cells turn healthy (state 0)

- Write more metadata to HDF5 files:
  - SHA checksum of initial cell states
  - % healthy, infected, and ill at each step
  - histogram of cell states at each step
  - some measure of complexity of cell states
  - in addition to (or instead of) a neighborhood type number, store the name
    (if any) and a simple pictorial representation -- e.g.,
    von Neumann
    010
    111
    010

- Cell states are represented as 16-bit unsigned integers.  Make this more
flexible.  At minimum, implement both 8-bit and 16-bit unsigned integer data
types.  Also strongly consider 1-bit

- Halo depth is 2.  Make this more flexible

- Consider adding more neighborhood types

- Make the program more general so it can run automata other than the hodge
  podge machine

- Consider implementing triangular and hexagonal lattices

- Consider implementing 3D automata

- Consider using OpenMP

- Consider running on GPU using CUDA C, OpenACC, or OpenCL

- Make MPI optional?

- Consider implementing alternative output -- e.g., PNG files

- Consider using parallel HDF5 so that all MPI ranks can write to the same file

Testing
-------

- Create a test suite

- Ensure 100% code coverage

- Use a performance profiler such as Valgrind to look for hot spots

Documentation
-------------

- Explain how to get the software up and running on a multicore computer using
mpirun

- Explain how to get the software up and running on Amazon Web Services

- Consider making an instructional video

Gallery
-------

- Offer a gallery of images and videos on the web

Other
-----

- Write a job-script generator in Python