symbolic integtn/diffn of Maxima best of any open source system??

--- seberino@spawar.navy.mil wrote:
> Is Maxima by far the most powerful and advanced
> open source computer algebra system out there
> for symbolic integration and symbolic differentiation???

Differentiation is actually, if I understand correctly,
much easier than integrateion - many systems can do it.
Integration is where the real test lies.  Maxima, as far
as I know, can pretty much hold its own against Maple and
Mathematica in that department, and for some tasks is better.
I don't know of any other open source program which can
make that claim.  (Just had a thought - does anyone know
what Axiom's capabilities are in that department?)

> If yes then what is the next best thing that
> comes closest???

Um.  Symbolically the only other general purpose systems
I'm aware of are Yacas and Axiom.  Yacas is a nice system
but it lacks many of the features of more mature systems.
IIRC its integration is very lightweight still.  Axiom I
don't know much about really.  It is also old and mature,
but I don't know what its integration abilities are like.

There are programs which focus on specific areas of math
such as Pari, Gap, Singular and several others.  Comparing
more focused packages or numerical packages to Maxima is
kind of pointless, since the purpose of each is different.

> I believe the web page says this code has been
> improved since the 1970s??? I nearly fell out
> of my chair when I read that.

Most of the code base of Maxima was written in the late 
sixties/early seventies.  There have been various 
improvements over the years but most of the true heavy 
lifting was done then.  I also find that cool - as far as
I know we've got some of the oldest useful code in the
open source world. 

> ...And GPL'd too! Someone please thank the person
> that pulled that off for me. :)

Dr. Bill Schelter.  Unfortunately he passed away, but his 
legacy lives on in the Maxima and GCL projects.  He was 
the sole maintainer of both from 1982 til 2001.  He is 
the one who obtained permission to distribute the code -
we wouldn't be here without him.

CY

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