LEDA

             A Library of Efficient Data Types and Algorithms


                             Stefan Naeher
                   Max-Planck-Institut fuer Informatik
                  Im Stadtwald, 6600 Saarbruecken, FRG     

                        (stefan@mpi-sb.mpg.de)
  

LEDA is a library of the data types and algorithms of combinatorial computing. 
The main features are:

1.  LEDA provides a sizable collection of data types and algorithms in a form 
    which allows them to be used by non-experts. In the current version, this
    collection includes most of the data types and algorithms described in the 
    text books of the area. 

2.  LEDA gives a precise and readable specification for each of the data types 
    and algorithms mentioned above.  The specifications are short (typically, 
    not more than a page), general (so as to allow several implementations), 
    and abstract (so as to hide all details of the implementation). 

3.  For many efficient data structures access by position is important. In 
    LEDA, we use an item concept to cast positions into an abstract form. We 
    mention that most of the specifications given in the LEDA manual use this 
    concept, i.e., the concept is adequate for the description of many data 
    types. 

4.  LEDA contains efficient implementations for each of the data types, e.g., 
    Fibonacci heaps for priority queues, red-black trees and dynamic perfect 
    hashing for dictionaries, ...


5.  LEDA contains a comfortable data type graph. It offers the standard 
    iterations such as ``for all nodes v of a graph G do'' or ``for all 
    neighbors w of v do'', it allows to add and delete vertices and edges 
    and it offers arrays and matrices indexed by nodes and edges,...  
    The data type graph allows to write programs for graph problems in a 
    form close to the typical text book presentation.


6.  LEDA is implemented by a C++ class library. It can be used with allmost
    any C++ compiler (cfront2.1, cfront3.0, g++, borland, zortech).


7.  LEDA is not in the public domain, but can be used freely for research 
    and teaching. A commercial license is available for 2000 DM.


8.  LEDA is available by anonymous ftp from 

    ftp.cs.uni-sb.de         /pub/LEDA
    ftp.th-darmstadt.de      /pub/programming/languages/C++/class-libraries/LEDA
 
    Files:
 
    INFO                     this file
    LEDA-<version>.tar.Z     template version
    LEDA-N-<version>.tar.Z   non-template version
    unzip.exe                DOS unzip program 
    LEDA-<version>.zip       DOS template version
    LEDA-N<version>.zip      DOS non-template version