Dear AstroGridders and similar,

I have just installed on lismore "TogetherSoft ControlCenter - the Model-Build-Deploy Platform", as instructed by Tony Linde. Don't ask me what it does. I gather that it is fiendishly clever and does things like enable one to draw UML diagrams and then automatically generate C++ or Java classes automatically, but don't quote me on that.

anyway, Tony Linde wants those of us taking the AstroGrid shilling to learn how to use it to draw UML diagrams, and it may be useful for other distributed, collaborative software development projects.

the program is launced by logging onto lismore and typing /linnhe2/rgm/soft/togethersoft/Together and I've tested it both from a Windows PC (via exceed) and a linux PC (via slogin from an xterm), so it seems it just needs an X connection.

it does seem to use quite a lot of memory, which may interfere with the trashing that Karina gives lismore when she is reducing XMM data, but a major memory upgrade for lismore is imminent, which should improve things. Our licence enables multiple installations (but they explicitly told me that we can't install it on the general system) so, if having it only on lismore proves to be a pain, we can look to installing it on the machines sitting on other users' desk - the installation process is very simple, once you install a sufficiently new Java Virtual Machine (i.e. JSDK v1.3).

documentation can be found on the TogetherSoft WWW site - try www.togethersoft.com/services/practical_guides/ for introductory info in HTML and www.togethersoft.com/services/tutorials/ for more detailed demos using "Viewlets", which are really rather cute.

I hadn't seen Viewlets before, so I had a look around the WWW site of their vendor (www.qarbon.com) and it seems that there is a freeware edition of ViewletBuilder , enabling you to make your own Viewlets - and very easily, so it says - which would be a very snazzy way of showing people how to use our WWW site (and AstroGrid tools, etc). I doubt any of us would have the time for that, but maybe it's something that a work experience/vacation student might be interested in doing? - a little astronomy (learning enough about the WWW site to be able to explain how to use it in a viewlet), plus some pretty fun computing stuff...

cheers

Bob

Re Linux:

OK, I've updated our licence and have got Together6.0 installed on my alpha (lismore). I have also downloaded the linux binary, which is file /net/lismore/linnhe2/rgm/soft/togethersoft/together_1762v5_linux.bin.

instructions for installation can be found in the file file:/net/lismore/linnhe2/rgm/soft/togethersoft/Together6.0/getting_started.html

basically all you do is to copy the together_1762v5_linux.bin file to an appropriate directory, chmod +x it and then do ./together_1762v5_linux.bin to get the installer running. That should run OK - it asks you various questions, but they're all pretty straightforward - and you can then launch Together with Together6.0/bin/Together.sh, after putting a copy of the licence file (/net/lismore/linnhe2/rgm/soft/togethersoft/license.tg) into the Together6.0/bin directory.

you might find that you have problems pointing to the correct Java files, in which case you might have to ask John Barrow for help: when I installed Together5.5 I had to get him to install Java SDK 1.3 specially, and had to remember where he put it when installed Together6.0 today.

-- MartinHill - 05 Dec 2002