  A brief review of the SIESTA project is presented in the context of
linear-scaling density-functional methods for electronic-structure calculations
and molecular-dynamics simulations of systems with a large number of atoms.
Applications of the method to different systems are reviewed, including carbon
nanotubes, gold nanostructures, adsorbates on silicon surfaces, and nucleic
acids. Also, progress in atomic-orbital bases adapted to linear-scaling
methodology is presented.
