# benoit

[*benoit*](https://mandelbrot.dk/delta/benoit) is a free and open-source Mandelbrot renderer written in C++ aimed at producing accurate Mandelbrot renders at arbitrary positions in the set as fast as possible.

This speed is achieved by using all of the host's avaialable CPUs.

This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 as published by the Free Software Foundation.

## Building

The included Makefile is supposed to work for most platforms.

In the event it doesn't, find a solution.

## Dependencies

This project depends on the following libraries:

* Boost.Multiprecision (for multiprecision calculations)
* {FMT} (for string-formatting)
* GMP (a dependency of Boost.Multiprecision)
* libpng (for encoding PNG images)
* libwebp (for encoding WebP images)
* MPFR (a dependency of Boost.Multiprecision)
* pugixml (for XML parsing)

The project is written for POSIX and therefore requires the POSIX libraries.

Other than that, it also requires the target system to have the LLP64 data-model or greater.

Targets with a pointer size of less than 64b are currently incompatible, but architectures like Aarch64, AMD64, IA-64 and PPC64 are expected to work, no-problem.

## Questions

### How can I donate?

Thanks for considering it. What can I say?

Sadly, I currently do not have any way for you to donate unless.

But again thanks for wanting to do so. Here, have some gløgg: 🍷

### Why 64b-only?

64b architectures use 32b to represent an `int`, while 32b architectures use 16b.

32b systems are being deprecated by a lot of entities, and therefore it makes life easier to just expect a 64b data-mode. Why even bother, right?

Well actually some embedded-systems use 32b processors, and to the user of those I say: *Suck my big duck!*

### Why *blah blah blah*?

Please ask a constructive question.

### Why “benoit”?

This project is named *benoit* in honour of Benoit Mandelbrot, the discoverer of the, you guessed it, Mandelbrot set.

Benoit was a cool dude, but most people remember him only under the name *Mandelbrot*, if at all.

I think Benoit is a cool name, and Mr. Mandelbrot was a cool dude, so why not make a cool programme?