t68@nikhefh.nikhef.nl (Jos Vermaseren) (01/13/91)
I have a version of form available for whoever wants to use it. Form is a symbolic manipulation program that is made for large formulae and fast handling. It is kind of complementary to the popular computer algebra programs like Mathematica, Maple, Reduce and Macsyma (and the ones I forgot to mention). Its emphasis isn't on built in knowledge (it has very little) because big research problems nearly always require special solutions anyway. Most of those solutions can be programmed in Form. Experience shows that in that case Form is faster by more than an order of magnitude (if the other program finishes at all). The program and its manual can be found at nikhefh.nikhef.nl by means of anonymous ftp. This means that you have to type from your mainframe ftp nikhefh.nikhef.nl give the username `anonymous' and courtesy requires that the password is your netID, even though anything will do. There is a subdirectory form in which there are many subdirectories, one for each binary, and one for the manual. The form file is in zoo format and you should put ftp in the image mode by typing `binary' before getting it. The manual comes in two versions: 1: the file form.dvi which is in double A5 format. This means that the page size is A5 and in Europe it should be printed in landscape format with two pages on one A4. In the US they should fit with two pages on one legal size page. To practice you can pick up the file folder.dvi which is much shorter 2: the file form.doc which is the result of a dvitotty program used on the above dvi file Both dvi files are binary, the doc file is ASCII. I haven't posted this file because I would like to post a better version after some kind soul helps me with the following: I have an Atari executable with 14 addresses of all the system routines that I use in the beginning of the file at fixxed addresses. This I have documented together with the calling conventions for those routines. What I need is a small Amiga program that loads the Atari file in memory, relocates it, puts the addresses of corresponding routines in and then runs the thing. This will have several advantages: 1: For me it is easier to make new versions. 2: The user gets new versions quicker (I don't have an Amiga) 3: The Atari executable is much shorter and faster than what the Lattice compiler produces. It also has fewer bugs and the bugs that there are I know about quicker. The optimizer of Lattice played some dirty tricks on me. I have documented everything that is needed (someone started making this for the MAC) so if there is someone who is interested and capable to make this rather quickly everyone will benefit from it. Please mail to t68@nikhef.nl. If there are more offers I'll have to make a choice but for now I will be happy with one. Jos Vermaseren