[lug] Maxima

[D. Stimits]

"Timothy C. Klein" wrote:
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> I am soon about to head back to school full-time (that is the silver
> lining in getting laid off), and I am brushing up on my
> math skills.  I have been investigating symbolic math and computer
> algebra systems available for Linux.  I like Maxima, a fork of an old
> DOE project called Macsyma.  I have one problem:  I am having a hard
> time picking it up.  The reference is very complete, but also very much
> a reference.  I know there are a lot of science and math types on this
> list.  Anyone know of a decent tutorial for this software?  I haven't had
> much luck with google.

Is it free? I'd be tempted to download it and learn it. If I had the
money to go back to school I'd LOVE to. Being out of work is one way to
not afford it.

> 
> Tim
> 
> PS -> I actually really like Mathematica, but considering how often I
> reformat my machines, the student version is a pain ( requires a
> password tied to your setup ).  Also, the non-student version is
> $1500!!!  So I am really leery about getting too hooked on something
> that expensive.

I got burned by the student edition. Turns out that if you have been out
of school for a short time they no longer give keys. They believe that
buying a student edition as a student only allows you to use the
software till you graduate (for about $450). I really like Mathematica,
even the MathLink is interesting to bind it to ordinary C apps. My first
experience with it was watching someone create a ski simulation based on
fractal landscapes and realistic physics, back around 1990. Then I
started using it in finance classes, it does so much it is hard to
believe. The money part sucks big time though.

D. Stimits, stimits at idcomm.com

> 
> --
> ==============================================
> == Timothy Klein || teece at silverklein.net   ==
> == ---------------------------------------- ==
> == "Hello, World" 17 Errors, 31 Warnings... ==
> ==============================================
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