Warning | The OrbFit software system is
growing in complexity and scope: to keep up with this growth, this web
site also needs to be completely restructured. Please be patient while
work is in progress.
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Structure |
OrbFit has undergone two major upgrades.
Starting from version 3.0 it has been written in a different language,
namely Fortran90/95. The change does not only involve the free format
of the source code: the new versions deeply exploit the main features
of Fortran90, especially user defined data types and modules.
OrbFit has recently exceeded the 160,000 lines of Fortran95. Also for this reason, it has been necessary to split the global system into three subsets .
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Requirements | The software we are providing has been developed under LINUX and is distributed in a package allowing for automatic compilation on whatever target computer with a LINUX operating system; compilation is possible under the free Fortran95 compiler gfortran, although we also use the commercial compilers Intel and Lahey. Installation under some other dialect of UNIX should be straightforward for an expert user. We are sorry, but we are currently not equipped for distributing OrbFit in a Windows version; more exactly, we do not want to be equipped, by paying a tax to Microsoft to be allowed to provide free software. |
Where can I learn more? | You can use the online help here, but this document needs to be
updated. You may also go directly to our online OrbFit distribution directory. After compiling the code,
you can access the OrbFit main programs through the OrbFitSoft
graphical interface, available in the ./doc directory. We have abandoned the original idea of writing a mathematical specification document for OrbFit, because it would be huge and hard to maintain, even assuming we had the time of writing it, which has not been the case so far. However, we have written a textbook The Theory of Orbit Determination , by A. Milani and G.F. Gronchi, to be published soon by Cambridge University Press (index of this book). The content of this book covers most of the subjects which are needed to understand the working of OrbFit. (The former ORBIT9 software would require a separate textbook, which is being planned.) The copyright for this book has been given to the publisher, thus we cannot make the full text available on the web: we intend to publish appendixes, comments, errata corrige, and other related material on this site here. |
Where can I get OrbFit in Fortran 90/95? | You can download the OrbFit distribution for UNIX . |
Who maintains OrbFit? | The OrbFit Consortium. |