Subject: [FEniCS-dev] Dolfin/ko configure errors when installing fenics on mac book

From: "Ido Akkerman" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 14:23:15 +0100 (CET)

Hello

after last weeks symposium in Delft I tried to get things installed and
running on my mac book, howerver I did not completely succeed.

1) Dolfin and Ko configuration failed as it could not detect a valid
Python Library path. Although everything seemed oke??

2) FFC does not run as it fails to find the Numeric package. Browsing the
internet suggested NumPy and/or SciPy should also work as the superceed
Numeric package. This did not work unfortunately

3) When I Disabeled PyDolfin in the dolfin configuration i was able to
build  Dolfin howerver I got a PETSC_WOLD_COMM does not exist error.
Disabling PETsc made it work. However, this is propably not a disered work
around..

4) I Finally succeded in running some dolfin demos. I can not visualize
them as the vtkpython package is some how not found...

Probably most errors are due to my own faults.. But i don't now where to
start fixing it?? Some advise would be great!!

Ido

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From: Johan Jansson <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 15:05:54 +0100

> Python Library path. Although everything seemed oke??

Yes, the autoconf macro which checks for Python is broken in this
regard. Perhaps we can find (or write) a better macro in the near
future.

> Numeric package. This did not work unfortunately

This is a bigger problem, since FFC is essential to solving new
equations with DOLFIN. The switch to NumPy was discussed at the
conference, it seems to be imminent, or?

> Disabling PETsc made it work. However, this is propably not a disered work

It should actually be ok, PETSc is not essential for most solvers at
this point (specifically Ko or the other similar elasticity solvers do
not need PETSc). Since the mesh is not parallel yet, no solvers are
run in parallel in practice. uBlas (which you are using instead by
default) was introduced partly for this reason, that there should be a
fallback when PETSc installation is too complex.

> them as the vtkpython package is some how not found...

You can use ParaView (www.paraview.org) as an alternative. Most demos
output VTK XML files (.vtu or .pvd) which you can visualize in
ParaView as well.

> start fixing it?? Some advise would be great!!

It's really useful with your input for Mac OS X, since none of the
core developers have access to such machines. Good luck with your
development.

  Johan