Different max behavior from commercial product.

Barton Willis wrote:

> An nset solution:
> 
> (%i1) listmax(s) := if listp(s) or setp(s) then tree_reduce('max, s, 'minf)
>                          else
>                          error("The argument to 'listmax' must be a list or
>                          a set")$
> 
> (%i2) listmax([]);
> (%o2) minf
> 
> Unlike apply('max, list), the listmax function can handle long lists.
> 
> (%i3) listmax(makelist(i,i,1,10000));
> (%o3) 10000
> 
> (%i4) apply('max, makelist(i,i,1,10000));
> Maxima encountered a Lisp error: ...
> 
> Barton
> 
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I dunno about nset... but

dominate(fun,list,default):= if emptyp(list) then default else 
dominate(fun,rest(list),fun(first(list),default));


then you can do

listmax(list):= dominate(max,list,minf);
for example.

I guess dominate is the same as tree_reduce, huh?
RJF