Contributing to OpenCL-CyCL Core App

[Martin Cerny]

Hi,

first I have to say that you guys made a good job at supporting new developers of Apps, so far, the API seems well designed and the learning curve is not so steep (at least for me :-) !

I am currently developing a Cytoscape App for a transcriptory network inference method my colleagues created and I make heavy use of OpenCL. However, the currently exposed OpenCL API in CyCL is lacking some features. So, before bombarding you with pull requests, I would like to check with you if there are some specific plans for changes in CyCL in the near future or if there is anyone I should talk to before delving in. I could find no open issues for CyCL in RedMine, but if there is something, I can definitely process a reasonable number of requests not related to my particular needs while working with CyCL.

Following is the list of things I already know I need to add. The good thing is that they can all be easily added without braking any compatibility:
API:

- More ways to specify input CL program (now only an URL, I want string, list of strings and list of urls)
- Support for work item offsetting when enqueing a kernel

GUI/Configuration
- Store, whether the user has already configured his preferred OpenCL device and let an App using OpenCL request configuration, if it has not been performed yet
- Hint the user where to download OpenCL drivers for his CPU, if no OpenCL device is found

Thanks for your effort!

Martin Cerny

[Barry Demchak]

Hi, Martin --

Thanks for asking this. We love CyCL, but it is currently not well owned. The developer that contributed it is still available for questions and discussion, but not for any real work. 

If you'd like to propose changes (like you did), the best way to proceed is to strike up a short conversation with Dimitry (the original developer) just to get consensus, even on obvious points like yours.

If you'd like to propose pull requests, fine ... but we don't have anyone to judge their merit. Instead, would you be amenable to adding them yourself and taking responsibility for the integrity of CyCL?

We need GPU talent.

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: Barry Demchak, PhD
: UC San Diego, Department of Medicine
: https://sosa.ucsd.edu/confluence/display/~bdemchak/Home
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[Martin Cerny]

Hi Barry,

thanks for answering I am writing to Dimitry to get further info. And yes, I am willing to take responsibility for CyCL for the time being. 

Martin