RE: [Axiom-developer] Release?

[Bill Page]

William,

On Sunday, December 12, 2004 4:26 PM you wrote:
> 
> I did some simple test on Windows version. Here are some 
> (expected and perhaps easy to "get around") "bugs":
> 
> (1) -> )summary
> 'cat' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
> operable program or batch file.
> (1) -> )copyright
> 'cat' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
> operable program or batch file.

Under windows the equivalent command to send the contents of a
file to stdout is 'type' rather than 'cat'. This is one of the
examples of the way in which Axiom currently depends on the
operating system. The general solution is to write these simple
operations in lisp and not to depend on the shell.

In the mean time, until these functions are re-written in lisp,
we can provide a temporary equivalent in the Axiom bin directory
via a simple C program.

> (1) -> )cd g:\axiom
>    The current AXIOM default directory is
>       j:/Program Files/axiom/mnt/windows/lib/
> (1) -> )cd "g:/axiom"
>    The current AXIOM default directory is
>       j:/Program Files/axiom/mnt/windows/lib/
> (1) -> )cd g:/axiom
>    The current AXIOM default directory is
>       j:/Program Files/axiom/mnt/windows/lib/
> (1) -> )cd g://axiom
>    The current AXIOM default directory is
>       j:/Program Files/axiom/mnt/windows/lib/
> (1) -> )cd g:\\axiom
>    The current AXIOM default directory is
>       j:/Program Files/axiom/mnt/windows/lib/
> (1) -> )cd
> 
>    >> System error:
>    Cannot get the truename of #P"~/".
> 
> protected-symbol-warn called with (NIL)
> (1) ->
> 

I think the ')cd' command depends on some other linux specific
code for which Mike Thomas has already submitted a windows
patch but it is not in the version of Axiom that is included
in the current install file. I will check on this. This
command should work as you expect.

> 
> Given the average Windows user nowadays are unfamiliar with 
> DOS commands (let alone Unix 'cat'), I think it would not
> be advisable to announce or release to the general scientific
> public at this time.

That seems like an exaggeration to me. It would be hard to
get rid of these basic command language idioms from Axiom
when run in this mode. Users who use this mode should be
made aware of the basic set of commands. But see below.

> 
> If we can get Texmacs window packaged with Axiom Windows release,
> that is a different story. The snapshot sometime ago posted (by
> Mike Thomas:on Mon Dec 6, texmacs_axiom_windows.jpg) is the kind
> of experience Windows users expect. I think we need to give them
> a very good user experience (in addition to the math-computation
> experience) so users can become productive right away "off the
> box".

TeXmacs for a graphical interface is definitely possible. But
it needs to be installed separately. Go to

http://www.texmacs.org/tmweb/download/windows.en.html

and download the file wintexmacs-1.0.4.4.exe

This program installs the same way as Axiom (in fact is was
ported to Windows by the same person - Dan Martens - who did
the initial version of the Windows installer that I have only
modified a little.

Packaging TeXmacs with Axiom is possible and has been discussed
briefly with Dan Martens but he pointed out that the resulting
file would be a rather large download (22 Mb + 15 Mb.) I think
installing two programs is not too complicated.

> 
> Incidentally, I double-clicked on tm_axiom.exe in the j:/Program
> Files/axiom/mnt/windows/bin directory and a window appeared 
> and disappeared immediately. How should I start texmacs
> correctly?
> 

tm_axiom.exe is the "interface" program that is not intended
to be run directly by the user. If TeXmacs is installed, then
tm_axiom.exe is called by TeXmacs internally in order to "talk"
with Axiom.

But TeXmacs must be separately installed. See above.

If TeXmacs is installed, then the menu item

  Insert/Session/Axiom

will start an Axiom session inside TeXmacs and you will be
able to type type Axiom commands and see nicely formatted
output.

The tutorial that you can reach from the Start menu

   Start/Programs/Axiom Tutorial

has a section that describes the use of TeXmacs.

Regards,
Bill Page.