Re: [Axiom-developer] RE: User interface,TeXmacs and Axiom

[Bob McElrath]

C Y address@hidden wrote:
> True.  OK, if we want to be more specific, a while back I outlined a
> few ideas for a CAS GUI here, and a couple more were added: 
> 
> http://maxima.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/CY%27s%20conceptual%20stuff
> 
> (was thinking Maxima, but works for any CAS)

Neat ideas!

I really like the parenthesis matching idea.  This is something Maple
needs badly.  Mathematica has it, but it also reflows the entire input
box when it does it -- something I abhor.

I also really like the folding parenthesis idea.  So much that I would
turn it on as default for anything longer than 2 lines.  I'm an expert
at getting Maple/Mathematica to generate truly gigantic expressions.

You show an example (Ex3) on that page that is similar to
Maple/Mathematica's visual inputs.  e.g. you type 'integrate' and it
puts up the limits, integrand and variable of integration as empty
boxes.  Then the user has to do a lot of keyboard and mouse gymnastics
to select each box and put the proper thing in it.  Instead, I would
suggest something more similar to latex.  e.g. if I type \int_a^bx~dx
it knows to put the x as the integrand, a and b as the limits, and x as
the variable of integration (where the '~d' cues for the variable of
integration).  A slightly different example would be
\int_{a+1}^{b-1}x~dx where the use of curly braces tells the interface
to keep putting things in the limit/superscript box until it sees the
'}'.  This prevents the user from having to move over to the arrow keys
or mouse to indicate that he's done typing the limit of integration.

Another idea I've mentioned before is to have meta-information in a
sidebar.  With a browser-based interface it is easy to use an
onMouseOver handler to display something about each subexpression
(and/or highlight it).  I think it would be most useful to display type
information "integer" or "polynomial" in a sidebar, and any assumptions
about it.

--
Cheers,
Bob McElrath [Univ. of California at Davis, Department of Physics]

    "It is almost universally felt that when we call a country
    democratic we are praising it; consequently, the defenders of every
    kind of regime claim that it is a democracy, and fear that they
    might have to stop using the word if it were tied down to any one
    meaning." -- George Orwell

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