Re: [Axiom-developer] AXIOM target groups description ?

[Martin Rubey]

Vladimir Bondarenko writes:

 > Who are supposed to be the consumers of AXIOM now and in the planned 30
 > years span? Is it possible to give a more specific description of the AXIOM
 > user target group(s)?

Well, I suppose it is mainly researchers, and some people who want to do
calculations in domains that are usually not available in other CAS.

Although I find the strong typing to be a very useful feedback, I guess that a
great many people will be served better by CAS like Maxima, Maple and
Mathematica. Another - different reason for this is certainly that there are a
great many packages currently not available in Axiom, although they ought to
be, you can look at the WishList on

http://page.axiom-developer.org/zope/mathaction/WishList

for that matter. I myself find especially the Expression domain rather
weak. 

MuPad is very similar to Axiom -- even in the Algebra hierarchy, just look at
the axioms... However, expressions in Mupad are far ahead of expressions in
Axiom currently. 

In summary, those people who want to work with a CAS on a day to day basis are
probably better off with Axiom or MuPad in the long run. Furthermore, I'd
advise students to look at Axiom since this might make a lot of things a lot
clearer -- only, they should wait a little, until we really have a
release. Otherwise it will be just frustrating, I guess.

Another reason to use Axiom is certainly that it is free, as in free beer. And
still another reason to use Axiom is that it is free, as in freedom of
speech. Found a bug? Fix it, tell the others, then go ahead!

Martin