🚀 go-pugleaf

> While at the 1984 MACSYMA users conference I heard about "The Dream".
> It was the result of a PhD. thesis (I think). It is a front end  for
> MACSYMA, providing scroll back, mathmatical layout and part selection
> by pointing for algebraic expressions. I have long wanted to have
> better output from the algebra packages I've been using (REDUCE, SMP),
> because of the length of the expressions I generate (I'm a theoretical
> physicist). It occured to me some time ago that the Macintosh (or
> similar ) would be ideal for such a task as it has a mouse for pointing
> to expressions, its own storage for scroll back and very powerfull font
> system (Greek/Math Super-Subscript, half line .....).
> 
> I would like any references to thesis, papers, publications or programs
> that deal with formating, printing, graphical selection  etc of
> algebraic expressions.
> 
> Kevin McIsaac

-----------Forwarded Message-------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jul 85 09:03:25 PDT
From: fateman%ucbdali@Berkeley (Richard Fateman)
Message-Id: <8507311603.AA14415@ucbdali.ARPA>
Subject: Re:  Terminals for algebraic computing

Foster, Gregg,  "DREAMS  Display Representation for Algebraic Manipulation
Systems", a MS project.  Available for $3.00 (US).  Ask for report
#193,  publications office, Computer Science Division, 573 Evans Hall,
Univ. of Calif., Berkeley, CA  94720, USA
(This uses a Sun workstation running Macsyma)
  I think it is not clear that the way to understand very very large
expressions is to typeset them, by the way.

Wm Leler and I have added a "flashy" interface onto Reduce which has most
of the features you mentioned.  It runs on a Tektronix 4404 workstation.
The interface displays exponents, integrals, square roots, matrices, etc
in their natural form.  It uses the mouse to select expressions (for input
into reduce) and to collapse very large expressions (so that their overall
structure is visible).  The screen can be scrolled up and down and 
individual expressions can be scrolled left and right.

We do not use italics and different size fonts for several reasons
(the most important of which relates to screen resolution).  We do
have a few "useful" greek letters and will have the full alphabet
if we ever find a public domain greek font.

We presented a paper on the interface at "The third International
Conference on Applied Alebra, Algebraic Algorithms, Symbolic Computation
and Error Correcting Codes" (AAECC-3) last month.  The proceedings
will (probably) be published by Springer-Verlag towards the end of the year.
We demonstrated the interface at AAECC-3.  An earlier version was
also demonstrated at Eurocal in Linz.

Tektronix is selling Reduce with the interface as an "unsupported product"
(Reduce has always been an "unsupported product").  As far as I know,
it is the only fully working interface that is being distributed.

The drawback to the interface is that it only works on a Tek 4404.
If there is a strong interest indicated, we might port it to other
workstations (or smart terminals).  We hope to port the interface to
other computer algebra systems if legal and logistical arrangements
can be worked out.

	Neil Soiffer
	...ucbvax!tektronix!tekchips!soiffer

We have the REX Macsyma 305 package running on our VAX11/780 under
VMS4.1. Some of our theorists want to use Macsyma with the gamma
algebra package (gamalg?), but we don't have it and I have no idea
where to find it. Any suggestions would be appreciated. If anyone is
having the same problem, mail to me and I will forward any info that
I get.

Todd Aven
Softwear Sweatshop
High Energy Physics
Univ. of Md.
(301)454-3508