Welcome to a blog that bridges the realms of optimization, accessibility, and efficiency – a convergence that defines the essence … ChatGPT → out.

A long time ago, in a far far away university, a lone grad student embarked on a journey to explore the uncharted territory of some NP-hard problem. It worked somewhat, and somewhat not. But the grad student was not alone. A bunch of other grad students, researchers, and other professors were also exploring the same territory. They were all trying to find the best way to solve their problems. Some were using hammers to solve nails, others were using screwdrivers to solve screws. And believe me, a commercial solver is an expensive hammer, hard to handle with a C++ interface, specially when the nail is modeled as a screw, or worse, a nail with a screw head.

Facing such adversity, the grad student decided to create a new tool, a tool that would be easy to use, easy to understand, and easy to extend. In the Land of Optimization where the shadows lie, the grad student is forging the one tool to rule them all and in the darkness bind them. The one tool to rule them all and in the darkness find them. As time passed, the grad student join with others, became a postdoctoral fellow, and the tool became a framework. As longer time passed, the fellow became a senior researcher and the framework became a library. And now, the library is ready to come under the light.

This blog series takes you on an exploration of the optimization realm, specifically focusing on Constraint Programming. The concepts and ideas driving each step are explained using the Julia language, the JuMP.jl ecosystem, and the packages in JuliaConstraints as the foundational elements.

This journey highlights key aspects, including accessible and practical exploration of optimization and decision-making, connecting intricate concepts to user-friendly comprehension, and equipping readers with tools to harness optimization's potential in everyday situations.