ChapterZero

I spent this morning figuring out how to use Distutils to 1)compile python extensions/non-pure modules, 2) install modules/packages. Then I packaged up basicCAS, version 1.0, and made my first submission to the PyPI library.

Although it is certainly usable— e.g. Didier is using it in a polynomial class he’s writing—, the first version of basicCAS is not all that wonderful. The eventual goal is full compatibility with Mathematica’s text mode parser, but I have a ways to go on that— even after reading the Mathematica Book, and appendices, it isn’t clear to me exactly what’s going on sometimes. So it looks like I’m going to have to play around with Mathematica for a while to get a feel before I start rewriting the parser. The things that will be– need to be– different in the next version of basicCAS are are: 1) precedence and associativity are respected, 2)all forms of character input taken by Mathematica are accepted, 3) the Fullform constructions returned are identical to Mathematica’s, and 4) the error reporting system as much as possible, reflects Mathematica’s. All of these are tall orders.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 24th, 2005 at 11:58 am and is filed under Computer Algebra, Programming. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.