Been chatting with folks, and I think I need to clarify what I'm doing
with my initial package setup - I wasn't nearly clear enough the first
time.
The package names as currently listed are based only on the
maxima.system module names - there is no guarantee these make sense
from a logical standpoint. Indeed, that's part of the problem I'm
hoping to fix. The main reason I did this is that:
a) There are some cases where the naming DOES make sense.
b) Whatever else the modules might not be useful for, they DO provide
a load order which results in things being defined in the proper order.
So, in general, a module at the beginning of the defsystem list (and
the associated files) is more likely to have code that is widely used
than modules and files at the end of the load list. Working bottom up
thus provides a convenient way to focus on the code that is less likely
to underly OTHER code, and makes the beginning steps much less painful.
c) In all probability I am overestimating the usefulness of this type
of work, but I know for me at least using the package system to
untangle the various pieces of Maxima seems like a good place to start
figuring out how this sucker functions.
d) One thing I DON'T want is to force an unnatural or illogical
structure just for the sake of defining packages. I DO want to make
Maxima modular, but if there is more to that than packages I won't try
to get the cart before the horse.
The ultimate goal is for this to have a real, practical benefit to the
future of Maxima, so whatever helps that in the long run I'm all for.
I'm just trying to put together ideas which sound useful to me, so if
they turn out not to be I'm quite happy to discard them. But my
ultimate goal here is to make things as simple as possible for a new
programmer wanting to be able to write useful code, thus improving
Maxima's chances of remaining vibrant and active into the future.
Cheers,
CY
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