Your mode of working is similar to what I try to do, and
I have found some of the same difficulties.
Here is what I think you can do.
1. Have a separate editor.
2. Develop batch scripts.
a. each script starts with
writefile(...) ;; open a file for output
b. each file ends with something like
save(savefile, all); if you want to save stuff you've computed in easy-to-load form
kill(a,b,c,..,labels, ..) ;;clean up for the next batch run.
closefile().
3. change file names in the script either automatically
or by hand editing.
4. when you want to run, open up a maxima and type batch("script1") etc.
5. You should not have to quit each time.
Incidentally, I work about the same way with Mathematica.
RJF
Daniel Lemire wrote:
>
> Good day Richard,
>
> Well, if that's the xmaxima that comes with the RPM I have, I'd rather
> not. After working with if for a while, I figured out that it is not a
> good enough GUI.
>
> What I do is simple. I have a text editor. I type my commands in it.
> Then I launch maxima, I type "load" or "batch" and I look at the result.
> I then type "quit();" and I start over... very, very bad interface.
> That's the best setup I could find.
>
> I just can't use the console interface because I want to be able to save
> my work in a convenient manner. What I do is rather lengthy. I have a
> few files with typically 100 lines of maxima code or something... I
> won't type this line by line every time I went to do some more work....
>
> xmaxima doesn't help at all and seems to have serious problems of its
> own. For example, I have "alt-p" which works... great!!!... but if I
> want to do cut and paste the unix way, I go, select text and press the
> middle button... then I'm in hell because the evaluation happens right
> in the middle of the xmaxima screen and everything is garbled. If I try
> the windows way, strangely enough, I only have cut and paste... but of
> course, I want to have copy and paste... I don't want to destroy my
> outputs or my inputs when I use the clipboard... Not to mention that it
> seems to be leaving all sorts of dead processes behind...
>
> It seems to me like people have worked really hard to design very
> sophisticated solutions... but what I need is very simple. I want a
> solution like gnuplot or python where you enter commands, can go back
> with the arrows, can save your work and so on...
>
> After learning to use the maxima engine, I've grown to love it. I'm
> still convinced that Mathematica and Maple are more powerful, but Maxima
> does just fine for what I need!
>
> If only, I could have a decent interface!!!
>
> It would seem like emacs is the best interface around... but how to get
> it working???
>
> Richard Fateman wrote:
> > Can you use the packaged xmaxima from Schelter's
> > web site?
> > Especially if you don't care for emacs..
> >
> > I am sorry I can't help you with the GCL version
> > of maxima.
> > RJF
> >
> > Daniel Lemire wrote:
> >
> >>I'm trying to get the emacs maxima mode working. I've never used emacs
> >>very much, I don't really care for it... the real solution to my itch
> >>would be a "working" console maxima (with support for things like
> >>backspace...).
> >>
> >>I have the latest RPM package for Maxima...
> >>
> >> [lemire@lagrange lemire]$ rpm -q maxima
> >> maxima-5.6-1
> >>
> >> And what seems like a decent emacs...
> >>
> >> [lemire@lagrange lemire]$ rpm -q emacs
> >> emacs-20.7-34
> >>
> >> I've edited my .emacs file adding the following lines...
> >>
> >> (autoload 'maxima-mode "maxima-mode" "Maxima editing mode" t)
> >> (autoload 'maxima "maxima-mode" "Running Maxima interactively" t)
> >>
> >> Then, after launching emacs, M-x maxima or M-x maxima-mode gives me
> >> "cannot open load file: maxima-mode".
> >>
> >> I tried various things like copying maxima-mode all over the place,
> >> giving the full load path... basically, nothing works. I checked the
> >> file permissions... and so on.
> >>
> >> I should point out that I was able to succesfully other .el modes for
> >> emacs. I'm not totally stupid. I understand the process.
> >>
> >> I'm pretty sure emacs finds the files. Anyhow, it finds other .el files
> >> without any problem.
> >>
> >> So what happens??? What are the requirements... ???
> >>
> >> Any chance anyone (not me) will ever fix the console app so that it
> >> works like a standard console app (say, gnuplot....???) I got some
> >>email from someone at some point (can't recall who) about a fix for the
> >>console app...??? Whatever happened to this???
> >>
> >>--
> >>Daniel Lemire, Ph.D.
> >>http://www.ondelette.com/
> >>
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>Maxima mailing list
> >>Maxima@www.math.utexas.edu
> >>http://www.math.utexas.edu/mailman/listinfo/maxima
> >>
> >
>
> --
> Daniel Lemire, Ph.D.
>
> http://www.ondelette.com/