Re: [Axiom-developer] Re: Axiom trunk failure

[C Y]

--- root <address@hidden> wrote:

> participation is great and i've accepted almost every patch
> sent to me. i'm hoping to see a drastic increase in the
> number of tested patches. 

Tim, how is something like the Emacs mode handled?  It's not properly a
patch and it's far from done, but just so I know what I'm supposed to
do with it.  Would something like that, once feature complete, be a
"third party" tool or part of Axiom proper?
 
> i'm applying personal standards here but i do not believe
> we should release anything that isn't the very best we can do.
> and it should be simple to install, work properly, be fully
> documented, well tested, and proven as correct as we can.
> this is computational mathematics, not word processing.

Agree 100%.  Which reminds me, I need to get back to the proof engine
reading...
 
> being open source axiom can be changed in any way by anyone.
> so far i haven't seen much in the way of patches posted to
> the list. 

Tim, the procedure for patches is well documented now, but what about
entire new pamphlets?  Same basic idea, submit to the list for
inclusion?  Do we need some kind of mathematical peer review if it's a
totally new area for Axiom? Or do we want to postpone adding any new
ones until what's already there is properly tuned up?

> it's quite possible for you to make a major system change
> by integrating the windows changes back into the main stream.
> you could get it building cross-platform and post patches.

Quick check - is there anybody now doing active development on Axiom
for Windows?  I'm sure we have users there but anybody who knows how to
compile it?

> we should be able to just type 'AXIOM=.../windows' ; make
> and get a working windows version. once that works we can
> try to get the browser/graphics/sman working. but right now,
> even for me, the windows version feels a bit like a black box.

Heh - Maxima still feels that way to me on Windows, after several
significant releases.  A literate document on creating a Windows
install.exe file would be a boon to lots of free software projects, I
think.  Of course, we are introducing the scripting language for the
Nullsoft installer and maybe one or two other special cases, but I have
a feeling it will be a very long time before we can avoid the need for
such tools and use a lisp based install.exe.

> i have a semi-working browser but can't integrate it into the
> main line until the rest of the windows changes get merged.

Cool!

> i've joined axiom to the numerical mathematics consortium
> (http://www.nmconsortium.org/FldRte/?id=72&page=Associate+Members)
> because i have an interest in recovering the numerical library
> facility for axiom. i have rewritten the BLAS library into literate
> form and have gotten permission from a BLAS person to use his
> research work as documentation for the routines.

WOW!  Exciting news!

> i'm in the process of documenting the BLAS code now. when it
> completes i'll release a numeric library for axiom that is literate
> BLAS. then i'll move on to the next numerical piece. along the way
> i'm learning about sensitivity analysis, methods of graphing branch
> cuts, etc. and trying to add what i've learned to the documentation
> for the code.

Out of curosity, is a lisp version of BLAS possible or are the
performance tuning requirements too severe?  I know numerical code has
to pay very careful attention to stuff like that.
 
> for me, axiom opens up whole worlds of interesting work.
> i'm not trying to be a one-man show but i don't see other patches.
> i'm amazed that no-one else seems to see the opportunities.
> or if they do then i'm puzzled why they don't exploit them.

Time constraints are the big problem.  Also, I have to learn to walk
before I can run :-/.

> anybody can do anything with axiom. 

:-).  Do yes, but not (yet) do quickly.  At least not me.

> my only regret is that my full time job is not axiom.

I'll second that regret - you've accomplished an amazing amount of work
already Tim.  You full time on Axiom would be awesome.

Cheers,
CY

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