[comp.edu] Algorithm animation software

sanjiv@hoss.unl.edu (Sanjiv K. Bhatia) (07/07/90)

Here is a summary of responses I received for my request for software for
algorithm animation.

1.  Marc H. Brown (mhb@src.dec.com) recommended the use of MacBALSA.  This
    package primarily contains animations of a slew of fundamental algorithms
    covering graphs, geometry, matrices, sorting, and binpacking.  It costs
    $25.00 with a user manual. 

2.  Samuel P. Uselton (uselton@wk39.nas.nasa.gov) suggested me to contact Steve
    Skiena of SUNY Stony Brook (skiena@sbcs.sunysb.edu) who has written a book
    and software package that implements many discrete math/graph theory/
    combinatorics algorithms on top of Mathematica.  I am giving the details of
    this package below.

    He also informed that Carleton College was demo'ing an interesting package
    at the computational geometry conference in Berkeley.

    Also, Jon Bentley's Programming Pearls column about two or three years ago
    covered some "Algorithm Animation", not only is that a good article and a
    place to start for references, but he might be able to give you an update.

3.  The package by Steve Skiena is available by anonymous ftp from
    cs.sunysb.edu.  The best guide to the system is his book, "Implementing
    Discrete Mathematics" published by Addison-Wesley, Redwood City, which came
    out two weeks ago.  He also maintains a mailing list of people interested
    in this kind of stuff.

4.  Mark Frydenberg (mfrydenb@cvbnet.UUCP) posted a message in comp.edu about
    a film "sorting out sorting" which he claims does a good job of
    demonstrating how different algorithms work.

5.  siegman@sierra.STANFORD.EDU posted two references on algorithm animation:

    Marc H. Brown, ALGORITHM ANIMATION (1988, 186 pp., $30.00).  ISBN 02278-8
    (1987 ACM Distinguished Dissertation Winner).  MIT Press.  (publisher
    posted by Max Hailperin (max@neon.stanford.edu)

    John Stasko, TANGO: A Framework and System for Algorithm Animation (Ph.D.
    dissertation, Department of Computer Science, Brown University, May 1989).
    (Also Tech. Report No. CS-89-30, same place).

My thanks to everyone who responded.  I have decided to play around with the
package by Steve Skiena, primarily because it is available immediately.  If I
have further comments on its performance, I'll post them in this forum.

Sanjiv
--
Sanjiv K. Bhatia				Department of Computer Science
(402)-472-3485					Ferguson Hall 115
sanjiv@fergvax.unl.edu				University of Nebraska - Lincoln
						Lincoln, NE 68588-0115

sanjiv@fergvax.unl.edu (Sanjiv K. Bhatia) (07/07/90)

Oops!!  I forgot to mention the sorting algorithm demo I already had.  I
received it from Dr. Roy Fuller at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
he does not have an e-mail address.  You can contact him at:

	Prof. Roy Fuller
	Department of Computer Science
	Science-Engineering 232
	University of Arkansas
	Fayetteville, AR 72701

This version is available on a Mac 3.5 diskette and contains animation of four
sorting algorithms: quicksort, bubblesort, shellsort, and heapsort.  All four
can be seen concurrently in different windows by selecting an option.  Other
options include selection of data (from sorted, near sorted, random, near
reverse, and reverse), number of elements to be sorted, and speed.

Sanjiv
Sanjiv K. Bhatia				Department of Computer Science
(402)-472-3485					Ferguson Hall 115
sanjiv@fergvax.unl.edu				University of Nebraska - Lincoln
						Lincoln, NE 68588-0115