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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Syzygy Documentation: Using the Documentation

Integrated Systems Lab
01/02/2007

Back to the Syzygy Documentation Table of Contents

NOTICE: This is Syzygy version 1.1. If you have been using an earlier version, consult the changelog for information on how to modify earlier practices.

Please email bug reports, feature requests, and questions to Camille Goudeseune or Jim Crowell (see the Integrated Systems Lab 'People' website).

Also, check out the Syzygy website.

Syzygy originally invented by Benjamin Schaeffer.

Where You Should Begin

If you are new to the Syzygy system, you should walk through the documentation's "Getting Started" system. There, you'll learn how to build, or otherwise obtain, the software, run the sample applications in "standalone" mode, how to set-up a Syzygy cluster, and, finally, how to run the samples on your cluster. You should gradually work your way up to full cluster operation, taking time to understand how Syzygy's distributed operating system works. You will also want to pay attention to how the included applications are built and their data files are installed. This will make it easier for you to get started writing your own portable cluster applications.

After you feel comfortable with the introductory material, you can learn about compiling your C++ Syzygy programs or about writing Syzygy programs in Python, along with reading descriptions of some of the available APIs in Syzygy Programming.

Finally, please consider reading the overview at the bottom of this page to get an idea of the motivation behind the software.

What Does "ar" Mean?

A short look at the source code reveals that Syzygy objects all start with the prefix "ar", which stands for "artificial reality". The "vr" prefix, which would be another logical choice, is simply too common, and, in any case, Syzygy is useful in domains other than VR.


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