A Truly Open Source Molecular Visualization System Created by the PyMOL Team
PyMOL (pleomorphic analysis methodology) is a software product developed by Warren Lyle Delano. PyMOL was commercialized first by DeLano Scientific LLC, a private software firm dedicated to developing useful tools for the scientific and education communities worldwide. It is based on the same Pyromorphic analysis methodologies used in the field of structural biology. This type of analysis is used to characterize different organic and inorganic substances with the use of sensitive instruments.
To date, this product is widely used in structural biology, astronomy, and other fields. Many institutions, including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA, and the University of California at Berkeley use PyMOL. The primary goal of the founders of PyMOL was to develop open-source software products for analyzing various types of organic molecules and atoms. Since its inception, the program has been modified and adapted for wide applications in many fields, including chemistry, astronomy, computer science, and the pharmaceutical sciences. Many other universities and colleges have also adapted PyMOL for wide applications in their own research facilities. There are two key components of this open-source package that sets it apart from other open-source tools and software solutions available in the market.
The first component of PyMOL is the fact that it is an open source molecule visualization system created and developed by a renowned team of scientists and engineers from DeLano Scientific LLC. PyMOL has been licensed to support the needs of the scientific and educational communities, including the Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Engineering Research (OSER), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects (DARPA). Another important component of the open source molecular visualization software is that it is compatible and accessible through the Common Gateway for Educational Software (CAGE), an online repository managed by the US Education and Research Development Agency (UREA). Since PyMOL can be accessed across multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, UNIX, and Solaris, it is very convenient for educational institutions to implement and use.
