Install OpenFOAM 2.3.x on Mac OS
 

Dear Forum,

I will start using OpenFOAM for my master thesis project regarding simulation of wind turbine.
I am having some difficulties in finding an optimal solution for installing OpenFOAM 2.3.x on Mac OS Mojave 10.14.6.

1. Do you suggest me to switch absolutely to Linux or is it ok to work on Mac OS?
2. Even if suggested, is there a way to avoid using docker and compile directly on Mac OS OpenFOAM 2.3.x ?

Thanks
Best Regards,

Guido

I kindly suggest you to forget about OF 2.3.x, which is not being maintained anymore since the new versions are available.

Either OpenFOAM 1906 or OpenFOAM v7 should be used.

The full maintenance support is for Linux, I would always use Linux instead of Unix or Windows. But the new versions afaik are compatible with Mac and Windows.

Thanks for your reply HPE. As you can imagine I am very beginner.
At the moment I should work on a previous code written in OpenFOAM 2.3.x and I have been told that the next versions cannot compile the very same code.

Question 1 : do you suggest a beginner to migrate to the last version or do you think is better to just compile OpenFOAM 2.3.x ?
Question 2 : is there a docker container of OpenFOAM 2.3.x ?

"the next versions cannot compile the very same code."

I rephrase their remark as that they are not able to refactor their code, so that it can be compiled with the new version, because they have no clue in coding simple tweaks (since OpenFOAM always take care of backward compatibility for years but not a decade), but they cannot admit it.

"Question 1 : do you suggest a beginner to migrate to the last version or do you think is better to just compile OpenFOAM 2.3.x ?"

IMHO, you must forget OF 2.3 for your long-term good. Attending a programming course, or a self thought course will enable you to perform the code tweaks you need for the code compilation.

"Question 2 : is there a docker container of OpenFOAM 2.3.x ?"

I don't know I am afraid.

Especially for a beginner, I suggest using the latest version of OF -- OF7 or OFv1906 -- in Ubuntu 18.04. OF in Ubuntu is well tested. Is there a utility or feature for OF 2.3 that you need but doesn't exist for OF7 or OFv1906? If not, use the latest version.


I run OF7 and OFv1906 with Paraview 5.6 in Ubuntu 18.04. A Qt version mismatch error that I and others have seen when building Paraview 5.6 is solved: https://www.cfd-online.com/Forums/op...u-18-04-a.html


Good luck.