Unfinished Business: Volunteer Tool Makers

Abstract

THE software distribution that accompanies this monograph includes Perl scripts for the SYN tools, tutorial examples described in previous chapters, and data for replicating some of the research case studies to follow in Chapters 17 and 18. Using the tools on this ‘canned’ data is not likely to expose any serious failures. Variations on the data provided should also work dependably. Varying the given subdomains, or making small component code changes, or trying modified system structures, are easy and safe. For example, the Bell stateless component used in the Introduction Chapter 1 and the tutorial Chapter 9 could have its ‘bump’ modified; a more complicated system structure could be tried in Chapter 9; the subdomain refinement in the accuracy study of Chapter 17 could be done differently, etc. Making minor changes is a good way to learn how the tools work.