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Imperial College London have released their Covid-19 epidemic simulation

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Re: Imperial College London have released their Covid-19 epidemic simulation

#11

This code is great fun. Start here to explore the horror: https://github.com/mrc-ide/covid-sim/blob/master/src/CovidSi... I like the way InitModel() crashes (I think) if a global pointer called bmh (short for bitmap header) isn't first initialized by calling InitBMHead() from Bitmap.cpp. I guess it's obvious to academics with giant brains that InitModel() depends on a bitmap existing. But it gets worse - the pointer…

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Re: Imperial College London have released their Covid-19 epidemic simulation

#13
post #2

Alumnus here, it’s Imperial College, London. It is a university (in its own right), but always goes by that name.

I knew that; I went to Kings! Apparently I haven't woken up properly this morning. Title changed.

Alum of both, it's comma-less icl on paperwork, website, rankings, and research, see ie https://www.imperial.ac.uk/mrc-global-infectious-disease-ana... bottom their address.

Re: Imperial College London have released their Covid-19 epidemic simulation

#14
post #4

I'm no expert in C++ so not sure if it's meant to look like that, but that code is making my brain hurt.

Just argument parsing makes my eyes bleed...

https://github.com/mrc-ide/covid-sim/blob/master/src/CovidSi...

That stuff is priceless:

else if (argv[i][1] == 'C' && argv[i][2] == 'L' && argv[i][3] == 'P' && argv[i][4] == '1' && argv[i][5] == ':')

I guess string comparisons are complicated. I also fail to see why they used ':' as the separator and why they didn't use a proper library to parse argv...

Re: Imperial College London have released their Covid-19 epidemic simulation

#15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I knew that; I went to Kings! Apparently I haven't woken up properly this morning. Title changed.

Alum of both, it's comma-less icl on paperwork, website, rankings, and research, see ie https://www.imperial.ac.uk/mrc-global-infectious-disease-ana... bottom their address.

Ah but I somehow managed to write "Imperial University". I have now had a coffee, and changed the title.

Re: Imperial College London have released their Covid-19 epidemic simulation

#16

Some people have raised issues with the model[1][2], or rather, the software implementation of it. There's also a (flagged) submission on HN discussing this[3] referencing [1]. [1] (warning: possibly partisan link) https://lockdownsceptics.org/code-review-of-fergusons-model/ [2] https://github.com/mrc-ide/covid-sim/issues/165 [3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23099212

That issue is unhelpful. Yes, no good tests, but how about suggesting ways it can actually be improved? Why are devs such bores when it comes to things like this? They have released the model, review it and suggest improvements! Don't grandstand "We, the undersigned etc etc" as if that's going to help improve the codebase in the slightest.

Carmack is OK with it, he's put his name to reviewing it. That's not to excuse the bad testing, but he hasn't thrown his hands up and run away. He worked with them constructively to make it possible for us to even see it! Be more like Carmack.

EDIT: Also be like this person: https://github.com/mrc-ide/covid-sim/issues/161 Helpful, constructive and the developers engaged with them.

Re: Imperial College London have released their Covid-19 epidemic simulation

#19

This code is great fun. Start here to explore the horror: https://github.com/mrc-ide/covid-sim/blob/master/src/CovidSi... I like the way InitModel() crashes (I think) if a global pointer called bmh (short for bitmap header) isn't first initialized by calling InitBMHead() from Bitmap.cpp. I guess it's obvious to academics with giant brains that InitModel() depends on a bitmap existing. But it gets worse - the pointer…

I appreciate you pointing out the flaws, but I fear they sarcasm is not really warranted. Shit code or not, you can call it out without denigrating the guy.

It's nice they aired their source code out for people to look at, least we can do is to critique without snark.

Re: Imperial College London have released their Covid-19 epidemic simulation

#20

This code is great fun. Start here to explore the horror: https://github.com/mrc-ide/covid-sim/blob/master/src/CovidSi... I like the way InitModel() crashes (I think) if a global pointer called bmh (short for bitmap header) isn't first initialized by calling InitBMHead() from Bitmap.cpp. I guess it's obvious to academics with giant brains that InitModel() depends on a bitmap existing. But it gets worse - the pointer…

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