Project #2.1 Packaging TVB

Packaging TVB for the modern world

Description: TVB has, for the moment, distributed its packages either in the form of sources from Git repositories for developers (https://github.com/the-virtual-brain), or a zip package per platform for end-users (http://www.thevirtualbrain.org/tvb/zwei/brainsimulator-software), and only recently through Pypi (https://pypi.python.org/pypi/tvb-framework). This leaves much to be desired: in the scientific community, the use of the Anaconda distribution has made the Conda package manager popular. For Linux, a project called NeuroDebian seeks to package much of the available neuroscience software as Debian packages, which are then usable by many derivative distributions. Native launchers for the most usual operating systems would be good to have. Lastly, for many situations, it is good practice to run software in an isolated environment, with tools such as Vagrant, Docker, Amazon Web Image (AMI), etc. To address these possibilities this proposal involves preparing new packaging scripts for one or ideally all of the above mentioned options.

Expected Results: One or more of: packages for Conda and NeuroDebian, Vagrantfile, script for building a Docker image or AMI, native launchers for TVB Distribution.

Skills: Python, Bash & Unix command line, Debian packaging, virtual machines, containers.