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From: soiffer@tekchips.UUCP (Neil Soiffer)
Newsgroups: net.math.symbolic
Subject: Re: Terminals for algebraic computing
Message-ID: <67@tekchips.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 6-Aug-85 19:24:35 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekchips.67
Posted: Tue Aug  6 19:24:35 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 12-Aug-85 00:33:50 EDT
References: <197@wacsvax.OZ>
Reply-To: soiffer@tekchips.UUCP (Neil Soiffer)
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 33


Wm Leler and I have added a "flashy" interface onto Reduce which has most
of the features you mentioned.  It runs on a Tektronix 4404 workstation.
The interface displays exponents, integrals, square roots, matrices, etc
in their natural form.  It uses the mouse to select expressions (for input
into reduce) and to collapse very large expressions (so that their overall
structure is visible).  The screen can be scrolled up and down and 
individual expressions can be scrolled left and right.

We do not use italics and different size fonts for several reasons
(the most important of which relates to screen resolution).  We do
have a few "useful" greek letters and will have the full alphabet
if we ever find a public domain greek font.

We presented a paper on the interface at "The third International
Conference on Applied Alebra, Algebraic Algorithms, Symbolic Computation
and Error Correcting Codes" (AAECC-3) last month.  The proceedings
will (probably) be published by Springer-Verlag towards the end of the year.
We demonstrated the interface at AAECC-3.  An earlier version was
also demonstrated at Eurocal in Linz.

Tektronix is selling Reduce with the interface as an "unsupported product"
(Reduce has always been an "unsupported product").  As far as I know,
it is the only fully working interface that is being distributed.

The drawback to the interface is that it only works on a Tek 4404.
If there is a strong interest indicated, we might port it to other
workstations (or smart terminals).  We hope to port the interface to
other computer algebra systems if legal and logistical arrangements
can be worked out.

	Neil Soiffer
	...ucbvax!tektronix!tekchips!soiffer