[petsc-dev] rename SNES methods ls, tr etc

[Barry Smith]

On Dec 3, 2012, at 12:11 PM, Jed Brown <jedbrown at mcs.anl.gov> wrote:

> On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 9:56 AM, Barry Smith <bsmith at mcs.anl.gov> wrote:
>    Ok, clearly we still don't understand Picard and what is called Picard in PETSc is probably all wrong.
> 
>    Start with F(x) = 0  Introduce any "reasonable" matrix function G(x) and write the equivalent nonlinear system G(x) x = -F(x) + G(x)x
> non-defect correction Picard iteration is solve G(x^n) x^{n+1} = -F(x^n) + G(x^n) x^n write this in defect correction style as
> solve G(x^n)(x^{n+1} - x^n) = -F(x^n).  When G(x^n) is the Jacobian of F() this is Newton's method. Correct?
> 
>    So a user can do (defect correction) "Picard" for their problem simply by providing any G() they want and the original F() using the usual PETSc interface, correct?
> 
>    Given this introduction it is wrong to say there are many methods _between_ Newton and Picard. It is really that (defect correction) Picard is a spectrum of methods (any reasonable G()) and Newton is a special case. Correct?
> 
>     The way "Picard" comes into PETSc is when the user does not have F(x) instead they have A(x) x = f(x). They want to supply A(x) and f(x) and A(x) may not be particularly near the Jacobian of A(x)x - f(x) (since f() can have all kinds of stuff in it).
> 
> Thus Picard in PETSc means the user provides A(x) and f(x) and Newton means the user provides F(x) and any "Jacobian" they want.
> 
> Fine, but I want to encourage people to "do Picard" by writing F(x) and A(x) because then they can incrementally add terms to A without breaking the structure. If they write to the "Picard" (A(x), f(x)) interface, they are constraining themselves and probably won't try using other methods. Regardless, we still want to support the equivalent of -snes_mf_operator (Newton) despite them using that silly "Picard" interface.

   All true and understood. We can add to the docs a recommendation to avoid the Picard interface but just have it to pander to the small number of stubborn silly folks.

   Barry