On 3/19/10 9:33 AM, Sheldon Newhouse wrote:
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> Some time ago you suggested that I might try ACL. I don't mind
> spending some money on a useful program, but I don't want to get
> involved in the sort of thing that Mathematica makes you do-- you get
> one for the office and one for home. If you change operating systems,
> you have to contact them and get the licenses renewed, etc. Matlab is
> better (at least it used to be). Bascially, you get a floating
> license so that you can install it anywhere that you do the work.
> What is the licensing of ACL and/or ACL IDE for linux and windows like?
Basically you download the program, free, and use it.
You can download it on any number of machines, free.
It includes the IDE on windows, linux and mac.
So what's the catch? Well, if you want extensive support, and need a
huge amount of memory, then you probably should buy a license.
The free version is large enough to compile and run Maxima comfortably.
I have to pay to run Matlab (for my floating license).
I use the free version myself, on Windows 7, Windows XP, MacOS. I used
to use it on Solaris too, but I retired that machine.
I occasionally run programs on Maxima/Allegro that mess up, for some
reason, on GCL. Usually I just use GCL and wxmaxima
because it includes a nicer front end and the plotting is OK.
Sometimes I use the copy of commercial Macsyma version 2.5
that I have from years ago because it has a whole bunch of features and
VERY nice graphics, but its underlying Lisp is a little quirky,
and the user front-end, while a GUI, is overly complicated.
RJF