Re: Beamline controls meeting

[mooney@aps.anl.gov]

Dear folks,

The APS beamline-controls collaboration will meet on Friday 4/19, from
1:30 until whenever, in room A1100.  I'm sorry I couldn't find a time
that would work for everyone.  Next time there will be more notice.

Here's my latest attempt at an agenda:

1) Cat representatives briefly describe what software they're running
   or plan to run, and what they're doing or plan to do with it.  Since
   we now have 27 CATs, details will have to be postponed until another
   meeting, or posted to the group via beamline_controls@aps.anl.gov,
   or posted on web pages and referenced by URL.

2) Mark Rivers describes his new software.

3) Bill Lavender describes MX.

4) Eric Boucher describes the data-analysis toolkit he's been working
   with ESRF collaborators to develop.

5) APS developers describe new software.  I plan to do some of my stuff
   via beamline_controls before the meeting.  Possible topics include
   synApps 4.5, new motor software, the CVS repository, experiences
   with Linux as a client platform and as a front end, CCD support,
   data-visualization support, experiences with Python as a macro
   language for users and as a development tool for EPICS GUI's, and
   support for the MDA and NeXus data formats.

6) We try to figure out how to make the new DOE funding structure, and
   the new APS organization, meet users' needs for beamline software.
   Clearly we won't be setting policies here, or even defining roles. 
   I think the best we can really expect to accomplish in this meeting
   is to get a better (maybe even a common) understanding of what's
   needed and what kinds of arrangements might actually work.


Tim Mooney (mooney@aps.anl.gov) (630)252-5417
Beamline Controls & Data Acquisition Group
Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Lab.