[CIG-SHORT] PyLith v2.2.1 now available

[Brad Aagaard]

Greetings,

I am pleased to announce the release of PyLith 2.2.1, a finite-element
code designed to solve dynamic elastic problems and quasi-static
viscoelastic problems in tectonic deformation.

This release provides a few new examples and bugfixes.

IMPORTANT NOTE

   This release includes some updates to the manual and examples that
   were not included in the v2.2.1rc1 used in the 2017 Crustal
   Deformation Modeling Workshop tutorials.

     - The ParaView Python scripts have been rewritten to make it easy to
       override the parameters without editing the scripts and use them
       when launching ParaView from a dock, shortcut, etc.

     - The Linux binaries are now built using CentOS and include the
       openssl libraries, so they will run on any Linux system using
       glibc 2.12 and later. Previously, we used Ubuntu 12.04, which
       required glibc 2.15 and later.


You can download the source code and binaries from

     https://geodynamics.org/cig/software/pylith

Detailed installation instructions for the binary packages are in the
User Manual with detailed building instructions for a few platforms in
the INSTALL file bundled with the PyLith Installer utility. We also
offer a Docker image
(https://wiki.geodynamics.org/software:pylith:docker) for running
PyLith within a portable, virtual Linux environment.

======================================================================
MIGRATING FROM VERSION 2.1 TO 2.2
======================================================================

No changes are needed to parameter or other input files. The default
format for pylithinfo output is now JSON.

======================================================================
RELEASE NOTES
======================================================================

* Added new examples.

     - examples/3d/subduction: New suite of examples for a 3-D
       subduction zone. This intermediate level suite of examples
       illustrates a wide range of PyLith features for quasi-static 
simulations.

     - examples/2d/subduction: Added quasi-static spontaneous rupture
       earthquake cycle examples (Steps 5 and 6) for slip-weakening and
       rate- and state-friction.

     - These new examples make use of ParaView Python scripts to
       facilitate using ParaView with PyLith.

* Improved the PyLith manual

     - Added diagram to guide users on which installation method best
       meets their needs.

     - Added instructions for how to use the Windows Subsystem for
       Linux to install the PyLith Linux binary on systems running
       Windows 10.

* Fixed bug in generating Xdmf files for 2-D vector output. Converted
   Xdmf generator from C++ to Python for more robust generation of Xdmf
   files from Python scripts.

* Updated spatialdata to v1.9.10. Improved error messages when reading
   SimpleDB and SimpleGridDB files.

* Updated PyLith parameter viewer to v1.1.0. Application and
   documentation are now available on line at
   https://geodynamics.github.io/pylith_parameters. Small fix to insure
   hierarchy path listed matches the one for PyLith.

* Updated PETSc to v3.7.6. See the PETSc documentation for a summary
   of all of the changes.

* Switched to using CentOS 6.9 for Linux binary builds to insure
   compatibility with glibc 2.12 and later.

See CHANGES in the top-level source directory for a list of changes
for each prior release.