After a 20+ year break from using Maxima/Macsyma, I installed Maxima-5.9.0
on my home Mac running OS X 10.2.8. It was installed with the standard
maxima "make" file, using a pre-compiled clisp-2.31 for Mac 10.2 that I
found on a SourceForge download listing (not from Fink). I'm running maxima
in a terminal window, not X11.
I quickly checked the maxima archives, but didn't see anything, so my
apologies if this isn't a new problem.
The "make" and "make install" seemed to work OK, with the usual diversions
(to install libiconv.dylib, etc.), but when I test maxima, it doesn't
properly recognize the differentiate function "diff." It just returns the
input function with a d/dx in front. I remember from my previous usage that
this is the way maxima tells us that it can't do something. Integration,
factoring, etc. seem to be OK. When I run rtest3.mac, rtest6a.mac,
rtestode.mac, etc., I get the error "Attempt to differentiate with respect
to a number." Here's an example of the problem:
Maxima 5.9.0 http://maxima.sourceforge.net
Distributed under the GNU Public License. See the file COPYING.
Dedicated to the memory of William Schelter.
This is a development version of Maxima. The function bug_report()
provides bug reporting information.
;; Loading file /usr/local/share/maxima/5.9.0/share/maxima-init.lisp ...
;; Loaded file /usr/local/share/maxima/5.9.0/share/maxima-init.lisp
(C1) u:x^3;
3
(D1) x
(C2) diff(u,x);
d 3
(D2) -- (x )
dx
What should be my next step? Do I need to recompile a .lisp routine? Which
one? I did have to force one recompile (limit.lisp => limit.fas) during the
build process when the make file kept exiting with the always helpful Error
1. After that recompile, the make file and "make install" finished without
any complaints.
By the way, is there a precompiled maxima for Mac OS X 10.2 floating around
that would avoid the build problem?
Any help will be appreciated.
Joe Koski