[ REQ 6138]: Re: my foul-up in not getting back to you

[joeh at arakis.sugar-river.net]

	 Date: Mon, 17 Mar 97 08:26:31 MST
	 From: "Robert S. Maier" <rsm at math.arizona.edu>
	 Phase-Of-Moon: Waxing Gibbous (66% of Full)
	 Organization: Mathematics Department, University of Arizona


(NOTE 1: From the GNU's Bulletin, January, 1997 I have extracted
the following information:)

(NOTE 2: To any of the recipients on the "cc" list: please read
Robert's request, and if you have anything to add to my report please
respond to Robert and cc to myself.  Thanks.)

INFORMATION REPORT for Robert S. Maier ON EXISTING OR IN-PROGRESS
OR PLANNED GNU SOFTWARE DEALING WITH:

A. SPLINING:
   1. (From GNU Software Now Available): graphics -- features a
      spline interpolation program.  email Rich at lamprey.utmb.edu

B. INTERPOLATION:
   1. See SPLINING ITEM 1.

C. INTEGRATION OF ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS:
   1. (From GNU Software Now Available): Octave -- solves sets of nonlinear
      algebraic equations, integrates systems of ordinary differential and
      differential-algebraic equations, integrates over finite and infinite
      intervals
      http://www.che.wisc.edu/octave

D. PLOTTING AND GRAPHING (OTHER THAN GNUPLOT):
   1. (From GNU Flashes): IRAF -- Image Reduction and Analysis Facility,
      http://iraf.noao.edu/
   2. (From GNU Flashes): MIDAS -- Munich Image Data Analysis System
      http://www.eso.org/midas-info/midas.html
   3. (From GNU Flashes): A table comparing many environments potentially
      useful to data analysis:
      http://lheawww.gsfc.nasa.gov/users/barrett/IDAE/table.1.html
   4. (From GNU Flashes): Numerical Python --
      http://www.python.org/
   5. (From GNU Flashes): Astronomical Image Processing System++ --
      http://wwaips2.nrao.edu/aips++/docs/html/aips++.html
   6. (From GNU Flashes): Classic Astronomical Image Processing System --
      http://www.cv.nrao.edu/aips/aips-home.html
   7. (From GNU Software Now Available): Geomview -- interactive geometry
      viewing program -- http://www.geom.umn.edu/seftware/geomview
   8. (From GNU Software Now Available): graphics -- produces x-y plots
      from ascii or binary data.  email Rich at lamprey.utmb.edu
   9. (From GNU Software Now Available): Karma -- signal and image
      processing library and tookit --  on the FSF Source CD
  10. (From GNU Software Now Available): MandleSpawn -- parallel
      Mandlebrot generation program for X windows -- on the FSF Source CD
  11. (From GNU Software Now Available): SAOimage -- X-based
      astronomical image viewer.
  12. (From GNU Software Now Available): SIPP - library for
      photorealistically rendering 3D scenes. Surfaces may be rendered
      with either Phong, Gouraud, or flat shading.  -- on the FSF Source
      CD.

E. SUITE OF MATHEMATICS UTILITIES:

   1. (From GNU Flashes): units  -- converts a quantity expressed
      in one scale to another scale.
   2. (From GNU Software Now Available): bc -- algebraic language with
      arbitrary precision numbers.
   3. (From GNU Software Now Available): calc -- extensible desk
      calculator. Differentiation and Integration.
   4. (From GNU Software Now Available): gmp -- a library for arithmetic
      on arbitrary precision numbers.
   5. (From GNU Software Now Available): gnans -- program and language
      for the study of deterministic and stochastic dynamical systems, in
      continuous or discrete time.
   6. (From GNU Software Now Available): gnumath -- a library, named
      gnussl) which simplifies scientific programming in C and C++.  Uses
      numerical linear algebra, also handles plotting.
   7. (From GNU Software Now Available): JACAL -- symbolic math for
      algebraic equations and expressions --
      http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~jaffer/JACAL.html
   8. (From GNU Software Now Available) Maxima -- Common Lisp implementation
      of MIT's Macsyma system for computer based algebra.  -- on
      FSF Source CD.
      
--------------------------------------------------------------------
   Hi Joe, I'd really like to know if there's any software currently being
   worked on for (1) splining and interpolation, and (2) integration of
   ordinary differential equations.  Also if there's anything being worked on
   for plotting and graphing (other than gnuplot, that is).

   RMS may have told you that over the last year and a half I've put together
   a 2-D plotting package, built on top of a library for device-independent
   2-D vector graphics.  A GNU version of the Unix utilities `graph' and
   `plot', that is, accompanied by a GNU libplot.a.  The package is
   accompanied by a deluxe version of `spline'.  Plus, I've got permission
   from Nick Tufillaro, the author of the old `ode' package, to update and
   include it.  `ode' integrates systems of differential equations (it takes
   input in symbolic form, and uses one of several numerical integration
   algorithms to generate datapoints).

   I'd really like to know if `spline' and `ode' are going to conflict with
   software currently being worked on.  (I already know that my `graph'
   competes with gnuplot as far as 2-D plots go.)  In fact is someone already
   working on a suite of mathematics utilities?

   Many thanks,
   Robert

Robert,  

Is this report of any help? 

If you have any further requests please do not hesitate to ask.


Best Regards,

----------------------------------------------------------
Joe Hartmann      Tel: ((555) 555-5555    Newport, NH
K2AJV -issued     email: joeh at sugar-river.net
    1951          home-page: http://www.sugar-river.net/~joeh
----------------------------------------------------------
......Copyright under the GNU General Public License .....
....for the good of future generations of programmers.....
----------------------------------------------------------
   My opinions are my own. I do *not* speak for the FSF.
  For info about the FSF visit http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu


   --
   Robert S. Maier   | Internet: rsm at math.arizona.edu
   Dept. of Math.    |
   Univ. of Arizona  |
   Tucson, AZ  85721 | FAX: +1(555) 555-5555
   U.S.A.            | Voice: +1(555) 555-5555 (dept.), +1(555) 555-5555 (office)