[seqfan] Re: Maple strongly discouraged

[franktaw at netscape.net]

Giving ranges helps, but I don't see any way to deal with the 
fundamental problem: any time a new version of a language appears, you 
would ideally check that all currently working programs in that 
language be tested, and the range extended for those that still work. 
But this is pretty obviously beyond our current power to do, and it is 
almost certain to remain so. We might be able  to institutionalize 
checking new versions for "core" sequences, but that would be about the 
limit. This means new programs will appear with a single version 
number, and in most cases that will not be updated.

Franklin T. Adams-Watters

-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Greathouse <charles.greathouse at case.edu>
To: Sequence Fanatics Discussion list <seqfan at list.seqfan.eu>
Sent: Sun, Jan 12, 2014 12:38 pm
Subject: [seqfan] Re: Maple strongly discouraged


I agree with Hasler here, without any particular preference on how that
should eventually be implemented. Having the programming language
standardized (and thus machine readable) would allow a lot of things 
we'll
want to have like user language preferences and syntax highlighting.
Versions are important but slightly tricky; ideally you can give ranges.

Charles Greathouse
Analyst/Programmer
Case Western Reserve University


On Sun, Jan 12, 2014 at 1:31 PM, M. F. Hasler <oeis at hasler.fr> wrote:

> Even though I made that little bit sarcastic & exaggerated remark, I 
don't
> think that Maple should be discouraged and even less that Mathematica
> should be preferred.
> It is somehow normal that a language evolves, and maple has in general
> quite good downward compatibility, the RETURN() function is a 
noticable
> exception. (Did never understand how they came to think about 
"RETURN()"!)
> Other languages, the (younger) PARI included, have the same or worse
> issues...
> The name of the programming language should (et least optionally) 
include
> the version, e.g. Maple V, Maple 10, PARI 2.6, PARI 2.6.1..., as I 
already
> suggested earlier (and I even put (PARI 2.6.1) instead of (PARI) in 
some
> submissions but this was not (always(?)) approved....)
>
> Even mathematics changes definitions, e.g. for the primes...
>
> I we are to make amendments in "code" sections, I'd vote for 
uniformization
> and abolish the privilege of %m and %M tags for Maple and Mmca,
> and/or find 1-2 more tags for the most popular progamming languages
> (I think PARI is no more much behind %m and %M)
> and/or implement a display routine that displays %o lines starting 
with
> (BASIC) or (PHP) or (PARI 2.6) or the like as
> <tr><td> PARI v. 2.6<td >Axxx = n -> ...</tr>
> instead of
> <tr><td> PROGRAM<td >(PARI v. 2.6) Axxx = n -> ...</tr>
> since the latter is less easy to copy-paste.
>
> M.
>
>
> On Sun, Jan 12, 2014 at 2:07 PM, Neil Sloane <njasloane at gmail.com> 
wrote:
>
> > Dear Seq Fans, Maximilian Hasler has pointed out that
> > my Maple program in A109671 (which worked correctly in Maple 16)  no
> > longer gives correct results in Maple 17 because it used the 
RETURN()
> > command.
> >
> > The Maple web site says
> >
> > "use of the RETURN procedure is strongly discouraged"
> >
> > and I can see why - it produces incorrect answers (without any 
warning).
> Of
> > course I don't see WHY they did this.
> >
> > Now there over 1900 Maple lines in the OEIS that use the RETURN
> statement.
> >  Maybe these lines need a comment saying:
> >
> > # Warning: May give incorrect answers because Maple has changed the
> meaning
> > of RETURN. Suggest switching to Mathematica instead.
> >
> > (Not sure about the second part)
> >
> > I could (and probably will have to) do this with a global edit.
> > Is there any other solution?  It is unethical for us to include 
programs
> > that give wrong answers.
> >
> > Here's the Maple program that works correctly in Maple 16 but gives 
wrong
> > answers  in Maple 17:
> >
> > > f:=proc(n) option remember; local t1;
> >
> > > if n = 1 then RETURN(1);
> >
> > > elif n mod 2 = 0 then RETURN(f(n/2));
> >
> > > else t1:= f(n-2)-f((n-1)/2);
> >
> > > if t1 > 0 then RETURN(t1) else RETURN(f(n-2)+f((n-1)/2)); fi; fi; 
end;
> >
> > Neil
> > --
> > Dear Friends, I have now retired from AT&T. New coordinates:
> >
> > Neil J. A. Sloane, President, OEIS Foundation
> > 11 South Adelaide Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904, USA.
> > Also Visiting Scientist, Math. Dept., Rutgers University, 
Piscataway, NJ.
> > Phone: 732 828 6098; home page: http://NeilSloane.com
> > Email: njasloane at gmail.com
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> > Seqfan Mailing list - http://list.seqfan.eu/
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Maximilian
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> Seqfan Mailing list - http://list.seqfan.eu/
>

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