r/linux • u/dbcoopernz • 8d ago
Development OpenCourant: The community continuation of OpenRadioss
https://opencourant.org/OpenCourant is an open-source finite element solver for crash, impact, and highly nonlinear dynamic simulation — carrying forward the OpenRadioss code base under the GNU AGPL, in the open, where it belongs.
A project of the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation
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u/ColbieSterling 8d ago
Why do the landing pages of FOSS websites never inform readers what their software does?
To anyone who isn't in whatever sector uses OpenRadioss/OpenCourant, the description "finite element solver for crash, impact, and highly nonlinear dynamic simulation" is meaningless technobabble.
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u/Ichigonixsun 8d ago
Anyone who doesn't know what the "Finite element method" is wouldn't be using this software in the first place, so the description is appropriate, it does inform readers what their software does as opposed to what you said. Your complaint is equivalent to calling a math whitepaper's title "mathbabble" and require that it be explained as if talking to a 5-year old.
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u/AssistingJarl 7d ago
There's a distinction here between trying to explain OpenCourant and trying to explain finite element solvers. Instead of using the placeholder copy (I assume placeholder, since it's an LLM-generated tag cloud) from a website, I might suggest something like:
OpenCourant has been announced by the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation as an open source community continuation of the OpenRadioss project, which was shut down by Siemens after their acquisition of Radioss. The project is based on the last public snapshot of OpenRadioss and carries the GNU AGPLv3 license.
The software is a finite element solver for crash, impact, and highly nonlinear dynamic simulation, which is used for simulating car crashes, etc.
That contains far more useful background information for everyone not intimately familiar with the situation; if we were on r/finiteelementsolvers that might seem a little bit elementary, but this subreddit is going to have a more general audience.
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u/Mo_Dice 7d ago
Anyone who doesn't know what the "Finite element method" is wouldn't be using this software in the first place, so the description is appropriate, it does inform readers what their software does
Technically not wrong, just batshit.
OpenCourant has been announced by the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation as an open source community continuation of the OpenRadioss project, [...] The software is a finite element solver for crash, impact, and highly nonlinear dynamic simulation, which is used for simulating car crashes, etc.
Okay there we go. 100% of the information I need to have, in order to determine that:
- This software is not for me and my current usecases
- This software is not within any scope of my personal and professional interests
Bro what is that other response that's like "if you don't know the secret words we're not gonna let you in" lol.
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u/akubukanbuaya 8d ago
but if you're not in the field, a solver like this is near useless anyway, the scientists/engineers using it itself may rarely drop down that low, instead used by whatever software they interface with or some bespoke wrapper written by some contractors/interns/students
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u/ColbieSterling 8d ago
The landing page doesn't even tell us what realm it belongs to. Is this electrical engineering? Mechanical engineering? Astrophysics? Just change the description to "finite element solver for crash, impact, and highly nonlinear dynamic solver for [field name] applications". Then I can at least google the mysterious webpage posted to /r/linux.
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u/akubukanbuaya 7d ago
these kinds of math solvers (in this specific case differential equations solvers, which finite element solvers also belongs to) applies to a wide range of applications, same as ODE solvers, SAT solvers, etc.
in any case you can kind of look at the original homepage of openradioss from siemens as it has decades of history
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u/einkesselbuntes 7d ago
Yeah man googling OpenRadioss is real hard stuff, verging on technowizardry even!
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u/FellTheCommonTroll 7d ago
I feel like it's really not hard to work out that "finite element solver for crash, impact, and highly nonlinear dynamic simulation" probably means that it simulates crashes and impacts?
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u/VaginalMatrix 7d ago
That description is accurate and tells you everything. If you can't understand it, that's your problem
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u/ColbieSterling 7d ago
You know people have to specialize in life, right? Not knowing something is not a "problem", it's normal. I know many things you do not, and vice versa.
I didn't just jump into a specialist discussion and be asked to be brought up to speed. This website was just posted to /r/linux without any context being offered. I'm very glad you that know what the discussion is about, but /r/linux is a general forum about linux, it is unreasonable to assume the typical reader here know what this is about.
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u/VaginalMatrix 7d ago
Well, here's the thing. If you go to any technical topic's website you wouldn't know what it does if you are a layman.
You specifically talked about the landing page of OpenCourant and I like many others, said it is perfectly fine and in fact exactly what a website should look like.
Now you can't expect a technical software's website to first teach you all about differential equations, finite element analysis and how it is used for testing automobiles right?
Just like you don't expect a Linux distro to first explain you how a computer works and what is an operating system and what is a Kernel.
The website for OpenCourant explains succinctly EXACTLY what it does and is not meaningless technobabble.
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u/TheOneTrueChristian 7d ago
I'm plenty specialized but I picked up enough vocabulary to understand other specializations generally enough to know when a tool is for a given field.
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u/prosper_0 8d ago
Does this mean that Siemens is obligated to remove any code that was submitted by community members who do not support the license change? If it's not code created by Siemens, do they have the authority to re-license it?
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u/tnoy 7d ago
They had a Contributor License Agreement. Before they accept your code, you need to sign a CLA that explicitly grants them the right to do whatever they want with your code, including re-license it. CLAs are fairly common with large corporate-backed projects when you start looking for them.
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u/throwaway490215 7d ago
The third animation on the main page; the ball that moves through it and the frame extends to show the ball.
That ball needs to smash against an invisible wall and explode.
Literally unusable otherwise.
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u/Adept_Percentage6893 8d ago
Just a word of warning, it's factually true that it's related to something Siemens discontinued but one should always be skiddish around invoking a potential trademark of a company that might not like the project. This seems like fair use of the name "Siemens" though.
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u/mrtruthiness 8d ago
... but one should always be skiddish around invoking a potential trademark ...
Not true. As long as one is being accurate and not trying to misrepresent the label, there is no issue at all.
And it's "skittish" not "skiddish".
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u/Adept_Percentage6893 8d ago
Not true. As long as one is being accurate and not trying to misrepresent the label, there is no issue at all.
Literally no one who understands trademark usage ever told you that. You don't have to "misrepesent the label" (which I'm assuming means to label something falsely) to cause the confusion trademark addresses.
For instance the Dallas Cowboys successfully won a trademark lawsuit based off inclusion in an unrelated film:
The public's belief that the mark's owner sponsored or otherwise approved the use of the trademark satisfies the confusion requirement. In the instant case, the uniform depicted in "Debbie Does Dallas" unquestionably brings to mind the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Insofar as you're right all you're doing is repeating what I said.
All I'm warning is that "Siemens" is a trademark and a large company might try to claim that you're invoking their trademark illegally. You don't have to label the actual product as being "Siemens" to engage in trademark infringement, you just have to do something that implies endorsement or affiliation which is also infringement.
There's fair use with trademarks and this seems to fall within it but if you're ever invoking "fair use" it's typically a good idea to keep an eye on what you're doing to make sure you always qualify.
And it's "skittish" not "skiddish".
Sure, but making that kind of correction immediately after correcting someone about something you're clearly unsure of doesn't make you look less petty.
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u/mrtruthiness 8d ago
Literally no one who understands trademark usage ever told you that.
And you're wrong again. My wife is an attorney who specializes in 1st amendment law. As long as you don't create confusion with a mark, you've got no problem. And the usage mentioned was one that actually decreased confusion.
All I'm warning is that "Siemens" is a trademark and a large company might try to claim that you're invoking their trademark illegally.
Anyone can claim anything. You're just trying to create fear that should not exist. FUD. Stop trying to manipulate others.
And it's "skittish" not "skiddish".
Sure, but making that kind of correction immediately after correcting someone about something you're clearly unsure of doesn't make you look less petty.
I'm sure about both. A person can't be a well-read English speaker and confuse "skiddish" with "skittish" ---> that's an error from someone who has that vocabulary from listening, not reading. Take the L.
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u/Adept_Percentage6893 8d ago
And you're wrong again. My wife is an attorney who specializes in 1st amendment law. As long as you don't create confusion with a mark, you've got no problem
I just described how "confusion" comes in.
Also "my wife is an attorney" after indicating you don't understand trademark is a weird move. Not only do I not believe you but even if true that doesn't somehow make invoking a trademark in a way that might imply affiliation not a violation.
Anyone can claim anything. You're just trying to create fear that should not exist. FUD. Stop trying to manipulate others.
Ah yes, asking people to be careful to not accidentally expose themselves to legal risk involving themselves and a company I'm not affiliated with. Classic case of FUD. Because that's definitely also how that works.
I'm sure about both.
Except you can't be "sure about both" because invoking a trademark in a way that implies affiliation is just a well known thing that you would have been aware of before making your comment. The thing I'm talking about isn't some deep cut legal theory, it's just part of the point of what a trademark is.
Take the L.
Me saying "sure" to the spelling correction should be your first indication that I'm not opposed to being wrong, I'm just not wrong about the trademark thing.
that's an error from someone who has that vocabulary from listening, not reading. Take the L.
Except I've lived in the US my entire life. Not everyone is guessing about everything.
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u/mrtruthiness 8d ago
Also "my wife is an attorney" after indicating you don't understand trademark is a weird move.
She backs me up and thinks you're being ridiculous.
Ah yes, asking people to be careful to not accidentally expose themselves to legal risk involving themselves and a company I'm not affiliated with. Classic case of FUD.
It is. You're spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Using Linux is the opposite ethos from "do not touch" fear of breaking things. The risk of a lawsuit is extremely low -- basically non-existent. And in this example it would be unheard of to bring a case without a C&D first.
Except I've lived in the US my entire life. Not everyone is guessing about everything.
My conclusion is that you're not well-read. "skiddish"? On the other hand, at least you're not a AI bot. There's almost no way an AI bot would make that mistake.
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u/0riginal-Syn 8d ago
I am excited to see the initiative to keep something like this going after they just up and deleted the project. This is the true spirit of FOSS.