>
>
>SAGE works the other way around. Python is the glue to join not only
>maxima, pari, singular, matplotlib and many other open source programs.
>It is even possible to use the three big M's, Maple, Mathematica and MAGMA via
>a standard interface. A Matlab interface is on its way.
>Python/SAGE is a mainstream, modern programming language.
>
>
>
Well I played bit with the maxima interface and it seems to behave as
I hoped it would!
sage:a=maxima('1+x')
sage:b=a^2
sage:b.expand()
x^2 + 2*x + 1
sage:b.integrate('x')
x^3/3 + x^2 + x
sage:(_+1/3).factor()
(x + 1)^3/3
sage:a.solve('x')
[x = -1]
sage:maxima('x+b').subst(_)
b - 1
For the python impaired: the constructor maxima(...) creates a maxima
object which can then be manipulated in a standard python way.
Michel