Simon's Lament Mac OS

Mac OS X 10.0 is kernel version 1.3 and has build numbers starting with 4. Counting backward, one might assume that Server 1.0, Developer Preview and Public Beta were build numbers 1, 2 and 3 using kernel versions 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2, but I don’t have proof of that. If you know of anyone with a copy that can confirm/deny this, I’d love to know.

Simon's Lament Mac Os 11

SIMION® 8.1 makes a number of enhancements over SIMION® 8.0.Major areas of emphasis include speed, accuracy, array refining enhancements,and programming APIs.

Schedule: The first 8.1.0 production release was in Aug 2011, and further8.1.x.y releases are being posted as free updates.

Changes between 8.0.x and 8.1.1 are detailed in SIMION Software Change Log, but themain differences are summarized here:

  • The first release of the new OS — Mac OS X Server 1.0 — used a modified version of the Mac OS GUI, but all client versions starting with Mac OS X Developer Preview 3 used a new theme known as Aqua. Aqua was a substantial departure from the Mac OS 9 interface, which had evolved with little change from that of the original Macintosh operating.
  • My Mac Software. I’ve written a lot of Mac software over the past ten years. Here are some personal projects that are mostly still current. You can find more about my professional projects on my work page. MT-NewsWatcher—a Usenet client for Mac; MacCVS Pro—a GUI-based CVS client for Mac; Chronoscope—a profiling tool for Mac OS 9.
  • Enjoy a ton of perks when you join our loyalty program, The Simons Sign me up. Subscribe to our Newsletter. Customer service 1-877-666-1840. Easy returns US$5 flat fee.
  • Use large arrays on 64-bit systems.

    A 64-bit executable of SIMION is now provided, which allowstaking advantage of larger array sizes(up to 190 GB, ~20 billion point arrays in 8.1.0.30).When the 64-bit SIMION executable is run on a 64-bit Windows,SIMION can utilize all available system RAM.SIMION can use arrays with the number of points beingapproximately 1/10 the number of bytes in free physical RAM. Forexample, a system with 16 GB of RAM, 14 GB of which is free, canuse a 1.5 billion point array.A 32-bit executable of SIMION 8.1 is also included for compatibilitybut (like SIMION 8.0) is limited to array sizes of roughly2 GB (~200 million points).

    The 64-bit version requires a 64-bit Windows, which in turn requiresa 64-bit CPU. The 64-bit executable is currently only supportedon 64-bit Windows (or 64-bit Windows running in a virtual machine on Linux orMac OS X). Running 64-bit SIMION on Wine64 on Linux is experimentally supportedbut needs further testing.32-bit Windows, as well as 32- and 64-bit versions of Linux and Mac OS Xusing Wine/CrossOver (32-bit), currently require using the 32-bit versionof SIMION 8.1, which is limited in memory sizes, but you’ll still be able totake advantage of enhancements like multicore support.) See 64-bit CPU support.

    Refine a few times faster (Multi-core CPU support).

    SIMION can now fully utilize multiple CPU cores to improve performance.This requires a system having a multi-core CPU or multiple CPUs (each in turnpossibly with multiple cores). Presently,Refining (e.g. Laplace/Poisson solving) and some other operations like theGEM processing, Modify OpenGL view, and some 3D view renderings areparallelized, but particle flying currently isnot in the initial 8.1.0 release (unless you run multiple instancesof SIMION as before). Benchmarking indicates that aneight CPU cores system (dual processor, four cores per processor)can speed up refines by a factor of ~3-7x, depending on whether thearray size is under the CPU cache size. See Multicore CPU support.

    Fly’m performance on Linux and Mac (Wine/CrossOver)

    has improved to near Windows speeds (as of 8.1.1.23).See Linux and Mac OS.

    Use rectangular, non-square grid cells (anisotropically scaled grid cells).

    SIMION 8.1 supports grid cells that have different scales inthe x, y, and z directions. In some systems, non-rectangular gridscan conserve memory and improve accuracy. See Anisotropically Scaled Grid Cells in SIMION.

    Proper Neumann boundaries

    SIMION 8.1 treats all open edges of PAswith proper Neumann boundary conditions, regardless whether mirror planesare defined on them. SIMION 8.0 only did this explicitly for edges with mirrorplanes; other edges were approximately very close to Neumann but differedvery slightly. This change can slightly improve accuracy for things likerepeating wire grid patterns. See Neumann Boundary Condition.

    Additional Scripting APIs:

    New programming interfaces have been added that are accessible inside SIMIONuser programs:

    • simion - a few assorted new interfaces added
    • simion.pas - manipulate SIMION PA’s directly in SIMION’smemory (Issue-I492). Note: SIMION 8.0 only allowedthis via C++/Perl/Python API’s that operated outside of SIMION (SL Libraries)
    • simion.wb - manipulate PA instance positions in workbenches(Issue-I496).
    • simion.experimental - programmatically draw 3D lineson the View screen. This is used for scalar and vector field plotting(SIMION Example: contour is much simplified), including magnetic field plotting(SIMION Example: solenoid and SIMION Example: helmholtz_coil) (as well as drawing wiresused for Biot-Savart calculations) and gas flow plotting(SIMION Example: collision_sds). (Issue-I564).
    Refine accuracy/Surface Enhancement

    SIMION can now improve Refine accuracy by an order of magnitude or morein the case when electrode surfaces don’t perfectly align to grid points.Note: This feature was significantly improved in 8.1.1.10, but thefeature is undergoing active development and some features of SIMIONdo not yet utilize it (e.g. it’s currently supported in GEM import butnot yet CAD or Modify).See Electrode Surface Enhancement / Fractional Grid Units for latest details.

    Poisson solver

    SIMION 8.1’s Refine function can solve the Poissonequation, which takes into account a known charge density as a function ofposition (x,y,z), defined as a separate space-charge array (PA).It’s important to note, however, that this Poisson equation solvingcapability alone is necessary but possibly not sufficient forsolving space-charge problems that you may have. The Poissonequation requires that you know what the space-charge distributionis, but it may be that this distribution is not known a priori. Atypical case is when simulating a system with a high current beam,where the electric field controls the path of the particle beam, butthe particle beam itself generates an electric field (and sometimesa magnetic field) that in turn in turn affects the path of theparticle beam. In such a system, the refine and particle trajectoryintegration cannot be done independently but must be donesimultaneously. SIMION includes some user programs that achievethis (poisson examples), but it is advanced and still somewhatexperimental at this time. See Poisson Solver in SIMION.

    Update: 8.1.0.42 supports .PA# Poisson solving (not just .PA).8.1.0.43 piclib adds mode optimizing time-independent case.

    Dielectric solver

    SIMION Refine function has been extended to solve the Laplace(or Poisson) equation in the presence of dielectrics, which takesinto account the dielectric constant as a function of position(x,y,z), defined as a separate relative dielectric constant array (PA).Dielectrics are implemented in 8.1.1.0, andthis is compatible with space-charge too.See Dielectrics.

    New workbench user program segments: New flym, initialize_run,

    terminate_run [8.1.0.40] and load [8.1.1.0]segments were added to simplify user programmingconcerning multiple run automation and reliability.Many examples such asSIMION Example: geometry_optimize, SIMION Example: tune, and SIMION Example: spectrumutilize these. See Workbench Program Extensions in SIMION 8.1.

    Supplementary Documentation:

    Supplementary electronic documentation (first added in 8.0) and SIMIONinfo pages (on the simion.com web site) have been merged and can beaccessed in Windows Help format from the Help > Browse Documentation menu.

    Assorted other changes:

    Refining/Simulation:

    • Cell sizes in mm are now stored in the PA file (not just the IOB). This is usedin Anisotropically Scaled Grid Cells in SIMION, Poisson Solver in SIMION, and visualization.Using a value other than 1 mm also affects the interpretation ofvarious parameters including PA instance scale factor, PA instance working origin,Magnetic PA scaling factor (ng), and distance units in GEM files.See Anisotropically Scaled Grid Cells in SIMION for details.
    • Physical Constants updated to CODATA2010 ; Issue-I494
    • Max Electrodes - PA# electrode limit increased to 1000.
    • Disable relativistic effects option added to theParticles tab, mainly to help see the extent of relativisticeffects on particle trajectories. (This can be used in conjunction with theKeep button to compare trajectories with and without relativistic effects.)
    • Issue-I503 - Refine .PA# solution arrays individually (note: the multicore supportlargely supplants this unless you want to refine these arrays on multiple computers)

    IOB

    • PA files automatically created from GEM files on loading IOB’s. [Added in 8.1.0.40]

    Programming (including various features previewed in early access program, Issue-I421):

    • New workbench program reserved variables:ion_run, ion_effective_charge, sim_repulsion_amount,sim_repulsion (8.1.0.43), and sim_grouped (8.1.0.43).See Workbench Program Extensions in SIMION 8.1,
    • New workbench program segments: segment.initialize_run(),segment.terminate_run() (8.1.0.32).
    • Issue-I182 - If GUI enabled, “fly” batch mode command display run in View screen.
    • Issue-I498 - Resize SIMION window programmatically: simion.window
    • Issue-I521 - New simion.print_screen() function to print current image.
    • Issue-I518 - Access memory dump: simion.debug.memory_dump().
    • Issue-I243 - Manipulate/save/load View display programmatically (experimental; may be delayed to 8.2)simion.experimental.display

    Printing:

    • Issue-I523 - Printing to BMP, PNG, and JPG files now supported.

    Data Recording:

    • Issue-I231 - Allow splitting data recording output into multiple files.

    Examples:

    • SIMION Example: poisson: various poisson solving examples [8.1.0/8.1.0.45]
    • SIMION Example: dielectric: dielectric examples [8.1.1.0]
    • SIMION Example: electrostatic_inductionIssue-I499: induced current/charge example [8.1.0]
    • SIMION Example: nonideal_grid (pa_jump) Issue-I515:PA instance jumping trick example [8.1.0]
    • SIMION Example: waveform: segmented waveform example [8.1.0]
    • SIMION Example: bradbury_nielson_gridIssue-I502: Bradbury-Nielson Grid example [8.1.0]
    • SIMION Example: faims: FAIMS example [8.1.0]
    • SIMION Example: gnuplot: plotting in gnuplot (similar to Excel examples) [8.1.0.20]
    • SIMION Example: magnetic_sector: extensive magnetic sector examples [8.1.1.0]
    • SIMION Example: field_emission: field emission example. Illustrates (1) refining coarse and refinePA’s in a dependent manner for higher accuracy in certain regions,(2) quickly rebuilding/re-refining PA’s based on changes to geometric parametersin adjustable variables, without leaving the View screen, and (3) emission from arbitrarycurved surface. [8.1.1.0]
    • SIMION Example: kingdon_trap: new Kingdon trap / quadro-logarithmic / orbitrap-like example. [8.1.1.0]
    • SIMION Example: count_transmission: % transmission calculation example [8.1.1.0]
    • SIMION Example: pseudopotential: pseudo-potential calc/plotting in RF trap [8.1.0.47]
    • SIMION Example: spectrum spectrum acquisition/plotting [8.1.0.22]
    • SIMION Example: mfield_adjust: example demonstrating basic usage of mfield_adjust [8.1.0.22]
    • SIMION Example: experimentalenhanced_refine: add “experimental” enhanced Refine accuracyfor non-grid unit aligned electrodes example [8.1.0.18]
    • SIMION Example: tandem_van_de_graaff: tandem Van de Graaff system, with electron stripping [8.1.0]
    • SIMION Example: geometry_optimization: improved in 8.1 to perform optimizationsentirely from a workbench user program (View screen), without resorting to batch mode.Also added sub-example automating runs at different PA grid cell sizes and Refineconvergence objectives. [8.1.0.40-8.1.1.14]
    • and others, as well as improvements to many existing examples…

Roadmap / Likely upcoming changes

SIMION 8.1 is mostly feature complete, but a few aspects are undergoing refinementin additional updates.These changes are still in development but may be implementedin upcomming 8.1.x update releases (e.g. 8.1.2) this year**.

Run user programs faster, and other optimizations.
We now utilize a faster Lua virtual machine (LuaJIT).Many simple programs (e.g. “quad”) may see only moderate improvements due tothe bottleneck being memory access speed. However, programs using loops(e.g. batch mode programs that iterate over all points in an array) cansee major speedups, even on single core processors.(mostly done but had been delayed due to other work; planned to be enabled in 8.1.1.x)
Anti-mirroring for arrays.
Anti-mirroringwould be a direct option for PA definitions. This is likethe mirroring option but potentials have opposite polarity on oppositesides of the plane. For example, X anti-mirroring means thatΦ (x,y,z) = - Φ (-x,y,z) for all points (x,y,z). For thingslike hexapoles, this halves memory usage without the workaround in 8.0.The design is currently under review.

Additional scripting APIs. - beyond the ones identified above.

nVidia CUDA
Pertains to refine speeds (under development/testing). Initial implementation under review.More extensive work might be done in the next version.

Additional significant features not listed are also under consideration and development.Some of these will be delayed until 8.2. As seen, however, a major areaof emphasis in 8.1.x is Refine and core optimizations. Less emphasisis placed on user interface changes in 8.1, which may be larger emphasis in the next version.See Early Access Mode and SIMION® Roadmap (8.2 and Beyond)for testing 8.2 features such as Permeability.

Other Notes¶

GUI: SIMION GUI remains largely unchanged in 8.1 following thesignificant changes in 8.0. Further significant user interfacechanges will likely not occur until 8.2beta.

Manual: SIMION 8.1.0 does not come with a new printed manual but ratherreuses the 8.0.4 manual (update: an 8.1.0.31 manual with small updateshas since been printed).Upgrades from 8.0 are not normally shipping with a new printedmanual (unless requested), but new licenses and upgrades from 7.0 are shipping with a new manual.Much of the core content described in the manual remains unchanged. However, weprovide 8.1 specific notes in the “supplemental documentation” inelectronic format (Windows Help). Major manual changes will likely not occur until 8.2.

File formats/Compatibility: File formats remain largely unchanged in 8.1.0.8.0 simulations can be run unchanged in 8.1, and most 8.1 simulationscan be run unchanged in 8.0 (unless the new features are used). Moresignificant changes may be delayed to 8.1.x or 8.2. An extension was made to thePA (and IOB) format to optionally allow grid cell sizes in mm (in X, Y, and Z directions)to be stored in the PA file, as required for the newAnisotropically Scaled Grid Cells in SIMION and Poisson Solver in SIMION features, but only arrays thatuse this option are saved in the new format. PA# files also recognize 1000 adjustableelectrodes (1..1000) now.

Simon's Lament Mac Os Download

System requirements:For details, see System Requirements. Requirements are similarto SIMION 8.0 except that SIMION 8.1 can optionally take advantage of64-bit memory (for modeling at higher accuracy) and multicore/multiprocessorCPU’s (for faster speed, mainly in Refine’s and some aspects of 3D rendering).Some > 10 year old systems (e.g. Windows 2000 and non-SSE CPUs) are no longerofficially supported 8.1 unless requested. A 64-bit Windows 7, multi-core (or dualprocessor) workstation can provide optimal results.

Pricing: A discount is provided to existing SIMION 7.0 and 8.0 users.See Ordering Info.

Upgrades: Free SIMION 8.1.x releases will follow for at leastthe following year to improve on these features and perhaps addnew ones similar in nature. A paid upgrade (8.2) is expectedsometime after that. 8.1 users will be able to beta test some8.2beta features as they become available (similarly to what wedid in 8.0 early access).

Support for old versions:

Lament
  • SIMION 8.0 remains actively supported. Patches will continue to be provided.However, major “new” features added are now going instead into 8.1.Both 8.0 and 8.1 can be installed and run simultaneously.
  • SIMION 7.0 will still be supported to some degree sincethere are still users, and many of the concepts remain the samein 8.0. Both 7.0 and 8.0 can be installed and run simultaneously. In fact, 8.0includes a copy of the 7.0 binary. The software is stable, andvery few patches to 7.0 have been released in recent years.
  • SIMION 6.0, released in ~ 1996, is no longer formally supported due to OScompatibility issues, but we may answer occasional questions on it in theuser group as they also pertain to newer versions.Very few people still use this version.
  • SIMION SL is now incorporated into SIMION 8.0. It is no longer soldseparately, but it will still be supported. Major new functionality isnow going instead into SIMION 8.1.
  • Related: SIMION® Roadmap (8.2 and Beyond).
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