Expand, factor... as a way to solve, simplify?

Daniel Lemire <lemire@ondelette.com> writes:

> Good day,

Good day!

> I still don't think it is reasonable. 

You should probably give a reference and/or some context as to what
you're talking about; you don't think what is reasonable?

> If the only support the computer is providing me is a set of
> functions to modify expression manually (do this, do that), then it
> is of no use. (Mind you, that's not what Maxima does, but that's
> what you seem to be arguing it should do.)

"You" who?

> For simple problems, I will do it faster with pen and paper.

Pencil and paper is good.

Anyhow, from the subject and the following excerpt (I didn't find the
parent article) 

> > I'm not saying that you should use expand, factor, etc. at random;
> > it may be necessary to examine the problem carefully before you
> > attack it with computer algebra - to map out where you're going.

it looks like you want Maxima to do some simplification.
The problem is that "simplify" is very vague, and which of two
expressions is simpler depends very much on what needs to be done with
it.  So if you want Maxima to simplify an expression, Maxima needs to
know what you mean by "simplify".  So there are a lot of choices
(expand, factor, etc.).  
If you are talking about using Maxima to solve an equation, then I
agree that Maxima should decide what simplification is necessary and
do the solving.  Do you have an example of something you want Maxima
to solve that it won't?

> The truth, it seems, is that Maxima cannot solve
> 
> exp(a * x) = C * exp(b * x)

Ah, here's an example.  Indeed, Maxima doesn't solve it.  Does Maple?
Does Mathematica?  What results do they give?

> if my software cannot do something it should be able to do (if only
> because competing software do it), I won't start arguing that it is
> "how it works". 

So you don't work for Mathematica, then.

> I just get mad when people say things like... "the problem isn't with
> the software, it is with you..." 

Has anyone here said that?

> ... I'm afraid to report this as a bug because people
> are going to start arguing that it is a feature and that it is up to
> me to run "kill" after I execute a piece of software.

Has anything similar to that happened on this list?

Jay