2020 10 12 Open NEST Developer Video Conference

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Agenda

1. Welcome
2. Review of NEST User Mailing List
3. Project team round
4. In-depth discussion
   • HBP CodeJam #11
   • Extension Module System
   • Issue #1773: wrapper around Prepare and Run

Mailing list

• https://nest-simulator.org/mailinglist

Project team round

Here we discuss topics that need broader attention, for example questions that came up but are outside a single project's scope, larger planned changes/PRs that affect all teams or pending work that is blocked by external factors.

1. Models / NESTML
   • ACA/Validation Hackathon in the coming week
   • adding test cases for dopamine STDP synapse, etc.
2. PyNEST
   • nothing major other than #1773 (see in-depth)
3. Kernel
   • working on multiple ring-buffers, work-in-progrees
   • #1798 fix for spatial headers (better preserve subdirectory structure when installing?)
     • currently just easy solution, discuss on next hackathon
4. Installation
   • new installation documentation cleanup PRs
5. Infrastructure
   • nothing major to report
6. Documentation
   • many minor fixes
   • discussions about nest-server documentation ongoing
7. EBRAINS
   • nothing to report
8. (Feature) Random number generation
   • updated to current master, but still failing some test
9. (Feature) Automated Testing
   • no news
10. 🌠 NEW: (Feature) Extension Module System

In-depth discussion

HBP CodeJam #11

• nest-server
• NESTML
• hands-on session documentation

Extension Module System

• removal of mymodule example (happened in master some time ago)
• new repository nest/nest-extension-modules
• formerly SLI extension modules rarely used, but are strong dependency
• request to call back from extension modules
  • pipnest to build a python module around nest-extension-module
  • pip install executes cmake steps on target machine
  • does not require interface to C++
  • 3rd factor plasticity used for teaching signal
    • volume transmitter not optimal
  • formerly could register functions in SLI (being called through all the levels)
• possible to separate out pynest installation? Use modules with different versions of Python?
  • Technically not possible, since binary components need to match python module (ABI needs to be compatible)
• branch out to separate discussion meeting (see poll)

Issue #1773: wrapper around Prepare and Run

• *postponed to next meeting, please comment on the issue