[seqfan] Re: Maple strongly discouraged

[Alex M]

If there is to be a restructuring, it would be worth allowing for ranges of
version numbers; i.e. rather than saying "Maple 14", which would leave
people in the dark as to whether it works in Maple 10 or Maple 16, better
to say "Maple 5 - 15", or something along the lines.

I don't know how technically possible this is -- but for a lot of programs
it would be really great if there could be whitespace in some internally
accessible version, but a condensed version in the inline form. Like
listing numbers vs. b-files.

~6 out of 5 statisticians say that the
number of statistics that either make
no sense or use ridiculous timescales
at all has dropped over 164% in the
last 5.62474396842 years.


On Sun, Jan 12, 2014 at 7:50 PM, Robert G. Wilson v <rgwv at rgwv.com> wrote:

> I believe that Zak and I suggested version numbers well over a year ago.
> Bob.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: SeqFan [mailto:seqfan-bounces at list.seqfan.eu] On Behalf Of Neil
> Sloane
> Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2014 1:45 PM
> To: Sequence Fanatics Discussion list
> Subject: [seqfan] Re: Maple strongly discouraged
>
> Yes, I wasn't really going to mention Mma by name in the warning!
> But I was hoping my suggestion might worm its way through Maple's thick
> skin.
>
> I agree that the traditional %p (for maPle) and %t (for maThematica) lines
> are a bit outdated, and all the programming fields could be revised. But
> that's a job for the future.
>
> I also agree that adding version numbers (e.g. Maple 15) would be a good
> idea.
>
> We certainly do need to include warnings in the Help etc. pages saying that
> because programming languages change so quickly (especially Maple),
> programs
> should be tested before being used, and the OEIS accepts no responsibility
> for ... ...
>
> Neil
>
>
>
>
>
> 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/
> >
>
>
>
> --
> 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/
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> Seqfan Mailing list - http://list.seqfan.eu/
>