A Portable Package for Testing Minimization Algorithms

A package of routines designed to aid in the process of testing minimization (or other types of) algorithms will be discussed., The intention is to provide a vehicle for evaluating codes which is portable, versatile and simple to use. Ease of use should encourage algorithm designers to use the package, versatility will ensure that it is applicable to testing many different routines, and portability will mean that it is available to anyone. This last point should contribute to consistency in the testing of algorithms. The emphasis is not on actual testing, but is on the presentation of some ideas of how one can design a useful testing mechanism.