[holger_marschall]

If I can't find a reindeer, I'll make one instead.
- T. Grinch, 1957

Dear FOAMers,

I proudly announce

The CoCoons Project - Community-driven Documentation on OpenFOAM® Technology
www.cocoons-project.org

that has recently been launched!

CoCoons

• is about the C++ programming language for Computational Continuum Numerics and its main principles: object orientation ('oo' in name), encapsulation (logo); code re-use, polymorphism and generic programming by inheritance and templated classes.
• refers to self-contained ('encapsulated') documents embedded into an elaborated documentation framework - a modular approach to community-driven documentation of the OpenFOAM® CFD Toolbox for Computational Continuum Mechanics, which the project focuses on in a first step.

The CoCoons Project is essentially a team of experienced users (volunteers) with minimal central organization. It is hoped to establish a high quality system of documentation on OpenFOAM® Technology that is easy to use and search through.

All CoCoons documentation is freely available (incl. the source), licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License 1.3. CoCoons documentation is to be professionally published via partner publishing house and international journal (Elsevier) standing side by side with CoCoons Project. For more information please visit

• CoCoons Project Homepage: http://www.cocoons-project.org
• CoCoons Project Partners: http://www.cocoons-project.org/cocoo...juliaportfolio
• FAQ Section - Why should I contribute?: http://www.cocoons-project.org/why-should-i-contributei

--------------------
The basic idea ...
--------------------
The basic idea was to create a Joomla-based website (a professional content managed system for web content) for community-driven documentation on OpenFOAM® Technology. This is quite flexible and professional in terms of layout, extensions and administrations.

For typesetting CoCoons documentation we chose LaTeX - a high-quality typesetting system which includes features designed for the production of technical and scientific documentation, which is visually of high quality, consistent and clear appearance throughout, precise and concise. Using LaTeX templates along with an own LaTeX document class, style-file and macros specific for community-driven documentation on OpenFOAM® Technology, a professional layout is achieved for CoCoons documentation.

The CMS Joomla! as well as LaTeX are both inherent parts of the CoCoons Project. It is strongly believed that both "ingredients" are crucial for a monolithic, coherent and attractive handbook/guide system.

--------------------
The concept ...
--------------------
On the Website of the CoCoons Project, LaTeX-Templates are provided, that can be freely downloaded and modified, containing the current documentation status of

• top-level utilities
• top-level models
• top-level solvers

as they come along with the OpenFOAM® releases or remixes. Accordingly, there is a CoCoons documentation download section where you can download

• CoCoons Utility Guide to OpenFOAM® Technology
• CoCoons Modeling Guide to OpenFOAM® Technology
• CoCoons Solvers Guide to OpenFOAM® Technology

as pdf-files, which will be maintained and updated regularly.

IMPORTANT: Any modifications CANNOT be uploaded directly but have to be sent to a third-party reviewer resp. an expert of a special interest group (SIG). The reviewed document will be sent to an administrator of the CoCoons Project, who will then upload the contribution. The contributor and reviewer will be added to a list of authors and reviewers in the document. At the same time, the document version number will be increased accordingly.

In addition, CoCoons documentation shall include the hosting of a tutorial collection on OpenFOAM® Technology on this website.

--------------------
The Website ...
--------------------
For more details please visit ...

www.cocoons-project.org

... and keep FOAMing & contributing!


---
best regards
Holger Marschall

Disclaimer: This offering is not approved or endorsed by ESI® Group, ESI-OpenCFD® or the OpenFOAM® Foundation, the producer of the OpenFOAM® software and owner of the OpenFOAM® and OpenCFD® trademarks.

Cocoon® is a registered trade mark of the The Appache® Software Foundation (ASF). The above use has been officially approved by ASF within the scope of scientific computing. The author duly acknowledges the trademarks of ASF and refers to the official websites for Apache Cocoon (link).