--- Richard Fateman <fateman@cs.berkeley.edu> wrote:
> I think that, suitably enhanced for a larger, variable-sized
> character set, #3 is probably better, since it has full access
> to all the information in the maxima system, instead of just
> the stuff that was programmed in python (or C++ or ....) in
> the front end.
Agreed - that's the Right Way. But the non-trivial amount of work that
involves means it's going to have to wait a while, I think.
> >The second good news is that it is not written in Lisp, so that the
> >interaction to the maxima kernel is somewhat more bound to a clear
> interface.
> >
> This is questionable, given that the front end has a duplicate
> parser for the macsyma input language, written in python.
The "interaction" interface I think is probably very clear in all cases
except perhaps the command line itself. Xmaxima communicates via
sockets, and IIRC the other GUI attempts have done the same thing. I
see no reason why a Lisp GUI should mean a non-clean API - the intent
is to have a maxima-kernel and separate GUI, regardless of the language
used for the GUI. A Lisp GUI would have an easier time of it as far as
the translation between GUI and math and internal forms are concerned,
but the structure of that interaction I would argue should still be
well defined. It's up to other GUIs to talk Maxima's language, or
teach maxima to talk their language.
> Since Qt requires a license for the Windows environment, the project
> suddenly becomes much less interesting.
I don't think his intent is to do "the" GUI for Maxima, and I rather
suspect KDE users will appreciate a GUI written to interact well with
their environment. I still think McCLIM is our best long term bet, but
the emphasis is on long term since McCLIM is still maturing. Which
works, since an effort by the Maxima team to make "the" GUI is likely
still years down the road.
As far as I can see, the third party GUIs server two purposes - they
will take some of the strain off of us to Produce a GUI Right Now, and
they might help ease Maxima onto more computers. Hopefully when we get
to it we can redefine the standard for a good mathematical GUI, but
math bugs, docs, case, and a variety of other issues loom large.
CY
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