Welcome!
Most of the nonlinear topics include only unconstrained methods. It would be good to have a group for constrained optimization: Sequential unconstrained minimization techniques (SUMT), sequential quadratic programming, augmented Lagrangian methods, Proximal point methods; Successive linear programming (like MS Excel's solver), Gradient projection methods (Lancelot), Michael Saunders's MINOS; Filter methods (Fletcher), etc. Kiefer.Wolfowitz (talk) 23:17, 8 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Previously, there were 3 lines of heuristics, out of proportion to the treatment of heuristics in optimization textbooks and surveys. There were two other problems, imho.
First, many of the heuristics that were listed have severe problems with notability, just to be listed in Wikipedia, and some have problems with single-purpose accounts (often anonymous IPs) being the main and nearly sole author: such editing is often associated with conflicts of interest, especially self-promotion. I removed all the heuristics with such problems with notability (with even having a WP article).
Second, many of the remaining heuristics were perhaps notable enough to have a Wikidia article, although the concerns with self-promotion and COI remain with a few of them (which seem to share the same editors). However, regardless of their merits as heuristics, many of those heuristics are not described in optimization textbooks and so fail notability to be in the footer for computational optimization. I removed the heuristics that are not discussed by optimization textbooks from this optimization footer.
(It might be useful to create a heuristic footer with them, because they do share a lot of commonalities.)
Finally, I think that my edits are consensus in optimization, because our optimization articles ignore the heuristics that I deleted, which makes it really weird to devote the header to them. I did ask for second opinions at the Wikiprojects in computer science, mathematics, and systems (operations research).
Sincerely, Kiefer.Wolfowitz (talk) 11:03, 30 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Optimering!
This navbox serves its purpose. There is a cross-disciplinary field of optimization, whose computational interests are faithfully represented by this navbox. The navbox reflects the content of the books of Shapiro and Minoux (and the textbook of Rardin), for example---the subset of topics covered in Roger Fletcher's book is also covered. These references are well-regarded by those with interests more in applied combinatorial optimization and operations research, such as Thomas Magnanti, for example. Given the stable consensus of the optimization community, I see no reason to split up this box, which only provides the most important topics.
As I have suggested many times, you are welcome to develop a navbox about your interests in (meta)heuristics: You apparently are a titan of meta-heuristics to whom other world-leaders might refer, according to your recent discussion at AFD. Indulge your interests and use your knowledge!
It does seem that meta-heuristics has a lot of articles, some of which seem to have conflict-of-interest and self-promotion concerns; could you try to weed the worst COI-problems from such articles?
Other navboxes could be developed for e.g. combinatorial optimization. The main problem is a lack of articles, not a lack of navboxes. Indeed, integer programming is a stub and the optimization article is only at Start class.
Thanks, Kiefer.Wolfowitz (Discussion) 12:34, 17 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Optimering, I have reversed your latest edit, which is your latest edit promoting (meta)heuristics.
I would ask you to consider whether your edits over the last year are uncomfortably close to the description of "single-purpose account", in your case championing "metaheuristics". Your own description of your status (in a recent AFD discussion) raises concerns about conflict of interest, particularly self promotion.
Your description of metaheuristics as being (in optimization) more popular or important than the other algorithms is false, but in any event would be Original Research, contradicting the place of heuristics in optimization theory (important, but often at the last chapters of optimization textbooks). In the SIAM, ACM, and Mathematical Programming (Optimization) Society journals, heuristics have an important, perhaps essential, but still small role.
I would suggest that you read Phil Wolfe's 1973 "universal algorithm for optimization" published anonymously in Mathematical Programming: You will note that "anonymous"'s article lacks a complexity/convergence analysis and computational testing against other leading approaches. Wolfe intended his article as satire, although some emulate the article ....
Sincerely, Kiefer.Wolfowitz (Discussion) 15:11, 19 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I created a subgrouping for combinatorial optimization algorithms. I was tempted to include mathematical structures important in combinatorial optimization (networks, graphs, matroids, greedoids, etc.) but then this template would not have been focused on algorithms. I did try to include the principal combinatorial algorithms presented in optimization and CS algorithm textbooks. Kiefer.Wolfowitz (talk) 11:43, 2 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I removed the line on statistical methods. Like the minor heuristics that were removed earlier, the statistical methods are rarely discussed in optimization textbooks (although they are discussed in statistical textbooks, e.g. in system identification). Kiefer.Wolfowitz (talk) 11:46, 2 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I posted the following on the talk page at "algorithm". Please respond there. Kiefer.Wolfowitz (Discussion) 15:50, 19 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Please view the promotion of (meta)heuristics by editor Optimering over the last year, including his edit at the Template:Optimization algorithms, where he removed approximation algorithm and added ant colony optimization from the section on combinatorial optimization. He also removed the Gauss-Newton and Levenberg-Marquardt articles from the gradient-related section; these are the most used methods in all of optimization, according to Lemaréchal, Gilbert, Bonnans, and Sagazstibal (sic) and science citation index counts. "Optimering" has already had one "heads-up" at the COI noticeboard. He has been warned about OR and self promotion (at risk of blocking) at his self-titled discussion "Block_threat_to_expert_contributor" at the administrators' noticeboard. and has boasted about his own standing in the world of metaheurstics at AFD.
Please view the promotion of (meta)heuristics by editor Optimering over the last year, including his edit at the Template:Optimization algorithms, where he removed approximation algorithm and added ant colony optimization from the section on combinatorial optimization. He also removed the Gauss-Newton and Levenberg-Marquardt articles from the gradient-related section; these are the most used methods in all of optimization, according to Lemaréchal, Gilbert, Bonnans, and Sagazstibal (sic) and science citation index counts.
"Optimering" has already had one "heads-up" at the COI noticeboard. He has been warned about OR and self promotion (at risk of blocking) at his self-titled discussion "Block_threat_to_expert_contributor" at the administrators' noticeboard. and has boasted about his own standing in the world of metaheurstics at AFD.
I would like to remove the belowstyle line so the style is consistent per wp:deviations. Any objections? Frietjes (talk) 16:30, 24 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Please see this discussion item on the Linear Programming talk page (adding here for extra visibility). Alexeicolin (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 02:51, 10 January 2013 (UTC)[reply]