This FAQ will be expanded as we receive questions from our users. If you have a question about GIDEN (or a closely related topic) that is not answered here, please submit the question to:

GENERAL

• "What is GIDEN?"



GIDEN is an interactive software environment designed to facilitate the visualization of network optimization problems, solutions, and solution algorithms. Features of GIDEN include the following:

• a graphical interface for building and modifying networks
• facilities for algorithm animation
• an expandable toolkit of animated algorithm implementations ("solvers")
• an extensive library of network-related data structures
• platform independence



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• "What does the name `GIDEN' mean?"



The name GIDEN was chosen as an acronym of

Graphical Implementation Development Environment for Networks

It turns out that the word "giden" is also an adjective derived from the Turkish verb "git(mek)":

git(mek) - To go
giden - The one who is going (has gone). The one who has reached the destination.



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• "What do you mean by `Network Optimization'?"



Let G = (V,E) be a graph with node set V and edge set E. Given information I about the nodes and edges of G we call N = (G,I) a network. Networks are useful mathematical modeling constructs for representing a variety of physical and abstract systems. Network optimization deals with constructing a network to model a given system, stating the problem in terms of the network model, solving the network problem using exact or heuristic algorithm techniques, and using the model solution to devise a real-world solution to the underlying problem.


We recommend the following texts for more information on network optimization:


Network Flows: Theory, Algorithms, and Applications
Ravindra K. Ahuja, Thomas L. Magnanti, and James B. Orlin
Prentice Hall (1993)
ISBN 0-13-617549-X

Combinatorial Optimization
William J. Cook, William H. Cunningham, William R. Pulleyblank, and Alexander Schrijver
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (1998)
ISBN 0-471-55894-X



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• "Visualization and Network Optimization"



There are many accounts of situations where visual representations have successfully been used to communicate ideas when verbal and textual representations have failed. For network optimization, the use of visualization is natural because of the convenient graphical representation of nodes as points and edges as lines between pairs of nodes. For a nice reference of visualization (and in particular, for visualization in optimization) the reader is referred to:


Visualization and Optimization
Christopher V. Jones
Kluwer Academic Publishers (1996)
ISBN 0-7923-9672-3

GENERAL INFORMATION

(Q) Where do I download GIDEN?

(A) From this web site: GIDEN V4a User (GidenV4a-20041002-0958.zip) 1.27MB

·        Install the ZIP file contents in a convenient location

·        Refer to the Readme.txt file in the ZIP file

BOOK CORRECTIONS

Note:  Please send book corrections to the email address at the top of this page.

INSTALLATION AND USAGE

(Q) Do I need to use Java 1.4.2_05?

(A) No, but our recent testing has shown it is the most reliable.  See the Java/GIDEN Compatibility table below.  The current User Version was compiled using 1.4.2_05.  Many computers can run GIDEN without needing to download a new Java version.

(Q) Why did GIDEN fail to run during the installation process?

(A1) The Java tools weren't installed
(A2) The Java tools weren't able to complete the installation or couldn't find the required files
(A3) Another version of Java may be interfering with version intended for GIDEN

When GIDEN fails to start, Java will usually print a diagnostic message.

(Q) Where do I find information on using GIDEN?

(A) In giden-user-guide.pdf, its in the downloadable file at the top of this web page.

JAVA/GIDEN COMPATIBILITY

CURRENTLY WE RECOMMEND JAVA 1.4.2_05 FROM:  http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html

GIDEN, like other Java programs, runs properly on most computers, but has problems on others. Compatibility problems have been traced to variations in computer configuration, operating systems, service packs, patches, virtual machine versions, multiple virtual machines, etc.  Recent compatibility results are tabulated below (newer results are at the bottom of the table)

If you are experiencing Java/GIDEN compatibility problems, try:

• Restart GIDEN or the solver, and try again
• Rebooting the computer
• Using a different Java Virtual Machine (VM).

NOTES BY ITEM NUMBER:

1. Workstation used for core GIDEN development (Windows 2000).  Also has Visual Cafe 4.5.1 installed and other virtual machines, typically uses 1.3.0_01.
2. None
3. With VM 1.4.1_01 caused computer to lock, reboot was the only recovery
4. Old notebook, no error message printed, may have insufficent RAM.
5. None
6. None.
7. None
8. Notebook used for GIDEN solver development.  Also has Visual Cafe 4.5.1 installed and other virtual machines, typically uses 1.3.0_01.
9. Desktop used for GIDEN solver development.  Also has Visual Cafe 4.5.1 installed and other virtual machines, typically uses 1.3.0_01.