From NA-Request@Score.Stanford.EDU Wed Jul 15 03:30:20 1987 Received: from Score.Stanford.EDU (score.stanford.edu.ARPA) by anl-mcs.ARPA (4.12/4.9) id AA13496; Wed, 15 Jul 87 03:29:21 cdt Message-Id: <8707150829.AA13496@anl-mcs.ARPA> Date: Wed 15 Jul 87 00:35:24 PDT Subject: NA Digest V87 #61 From: NA Digest Errors-To: NA-request@Score.Stanford.EDU Maint-Path: NA-request@Score.Stanford.EDU To: NA.Distribution.List:; Reply-To: NA@Score.Stanford.edu Status: RO NA Digest Wednesday, July 15, 1987 Volume 87 : Issue 61 This weeks Editor: Cleve Moler Today's Topics: Private enterprise or the demise of matlab Position At Intel Scientific Computers Fourth Haifa Matrix Conference 7-POINT-STAR Computational Math at SIGGRAPH ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 30 Jun 87 11:14:08 -0200 From: Axel Ruhe To: na@SCORE.STANFORD.EDU Subject: Private enterprise or the demise of matlab Matlab is a simple interactive system built up on the LINPACK and EISPACK routines for matrix computations, which has been a favourite tool for researchers in this area. Its popularity depends on three factors: it is there, everybody else uses it, and it gives easy access to powerful algorithms whose FORTRAN subroutines are nontrivial to call. Another reason for the proliferation of Matlab was that it was public domain, distributed in a chain letter fashion from University of New Mexico and promoted cheerfully by Cleve Moler and others. You needed a few hours to get your neghbours tape to run on your own computer. But now, when many people are addicted the scene is changing. The program grows and becomes machine dependent and the developers decide to make it private domain. They decide that all distributions should be done directly from them, and that the program for one machine should not be run on another. I work on a big school which is well prepared to pay for commercial software, so this is not my main complaint. My problem is that there is no dependable distribution any longer. My story is about the following: August 86, Cleve asks me if I want the new matlab and I say yes. Oct 86, letter to Math Works Winter 86-87, It is found out that MW has only VMS version no UNIX as we want. March 87, We order a SUN version since that seemed to be the ccommon ground when it comes to hardware. April 87, Now everything operates fast, we exchange telegrams on different details. (MW are of course not on e-mail). May 1, I sign multitudes of contracts and promise to pay MW hell of a lot just to get it. May 25, Now I get a letter from MWs European agent offering me matlab at a 20% higher prize. They have yet to learn that VMS and UNIX are different operating systems. June 10, Bingo there is a tape waiting in the Swedish customs but they do not have proper invoices and things from MW so they cannot decide on whether they should add 23.46% VAT on what. June 30, And now the tape is here. I personally should prefer to see all software public when it comes to use in research and education. If one feels the need of making money, and does not have a big commercial user community around ( Like those FEM engineers), one should state that from the beginning. We have seen others that have managed reasonable well at that, say SPARSPAK of Alan George, and SIMNON/ ITPACK from Astrom in Lund, and also distribute on time. Why not use netlib. It has given us droves of software in few hours. Or IMSL or NAG which know how to mail tapes. Axel Ruhe Department of Computer Science Chalmers University of Technology S-41296 Goteborg Telephone int-46-31721096 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 7 Jul 87 08:22:16 pdt From: David Scott Posted-Date: Tue, 7 Jul 87 08:22:16 pdt To: na.dis@SCORE.STANFORD.EDU Subject: Position At Intel Scientific Computers The Applications Research Group at Intel Scientific Computers is seeking an expert in numerical analysis and mathematical software. The position is permanent and is available immediately. Applicants should have: A PhD. in Mathematics, Computer Science, or an application area. Experience in numerical computation and FORTRAN programming. Experience with parallel computing in general and the Intel hypercube in particular is valuable but not required. The job consists of: Performing research on the characteristics and the performance of Intel Hypercubes. Presentation of results at meetings and in professional journals Function as expert users in interactions with the engineering and marketing departments Provide limited consulting services to chosen external software developers. Anyone interested in this position can contact me at David S. Scott Phone: (503) 629-7676 Email: na.dscott@score.stanford.edu USmail: Intel Scientific Computers 15201 NW Greenbriar Pkwy Beaverton, OR 97006 Intel is an equal opportunity employer. ------------------------------ Date: 12 July 1987, 17:03:50 IST To: NA list < na@score.stanford.edu > From: Danny Hershkowitz < MAR23AA%TECHNION.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu> Subject: Fourth Haifa Matrix Conference The Fourth Haifa Matrix Conference - First Announcement. ======================================================= We are planning to run the Fourth Haifa Matrix Conference at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel, on January 4-6, 1988. We hope that a substantial group of interested mathematicians will attend the conference, although it is unfortunately unlikely that we shall have funds to help with expenses since at present there is no budget for the conference. The organizers will be glad to help find accommodation and to assist with the local arrangements. Please let us know soon whether you can attend the conference. Also, we would appreciate it if you could share the above information with collegues of you who might be interested in the conference. Sincerely yours, Abraham Berman Daniel Hershkowitz Leonid Lerer ORGANIZING COMMITTEE - FOURTH HAIFA MATRIX CONFERENCE, 1988 e-mail address: MAR23AA @ TECHNION (bitnet). Letters Address: Mathematics Department Technion - I.I.T. Haifa 32000 Israel ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Jul 87 12:05:20 +0200 Posted-Date: Tue, 14 Jul 87 12:05:20 +0200 From: Syvert Norsett To: na@score.stanford.edu Subject: 7-POINT-STAR I am working with problems from oil simulation. In that connection we are interested in solving linear systems coming from the use of the 7-point star. My question is: What is done for vector machines in that case. In other words, direct solvers for almost symmetric seven-diagonal matrices. All information is welcome! Send information to : norsett@vax.runit.unit.uninett ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Jul 87 13:09:01 PDT From: Arnon.pa@Xerox.COM Subject: Computational Math at SIGGRAPH To: NA@SCORE.STANFORD.EDU, sym-list%smu.csnet@RELAY.CS.NET Environments for Computational Mathematics Special Interest Group Meeting @ ACM SIGGRAPH Conference Thursday, July 30, 1987, 1:15pm - 4:30pm Pacific Room A, Anaheim Convention Center (Los Angeles, California) FINAL PROGRAM 1:15-3:45pm: 10 Talk/Demos, 15 minutes each 1. "The MathCad System: a Graphical Interface for Computer Mathematics", Richard Smaby, MathSOFT Inc. 2. "MATLAB - an Interactive Matrix Laboratory", Cleve Moler, MathWorks Inc. 3. "Milo: A Macintosh System for Students", Ron Avitzur, Free Lance Developer, Palo Alto, CA 4. "MathScribe: A User Interface for Computer Algebra systems", Kamal Abdali, Tektronix Labs 5. "INFOR: an Interactive WYSIWYG System for Technical Text" , William Schelter, University of Texas 6. "Iris User Interface for Computer Algebra Systems", Benton Leong, University of Waterloo 7. "CaminoReal: A Direct Manipulation Style User Interface for Mathematical Software", Dennis Arnon, Xerox PARC 8. "Domain-Driven Expression Display in Scratchpad II", Stephen Watt, IBM Yorktown Heights 9. "Internal and External Representations of Valid Mathematical Reasoning", Tryg Ager, Stanford University 10. "Presentation and Interchange of Mathematical Expressions in the Andrew System", Maria Wadlow, Carnegie-Mellon University 4:00-5:00 pm Panel Discussion: Integrated Documentation/Computation Systems Richard Fateman, University of California-Berkeley [MACSYMA Algebra system developer] Richard Jenks, IBM Yorktown Heights [Scratchpad Algebra system developer] Michael Spivak, Personal TeX [Mathematician, author of "The Joy of TeX"] Ronald Whitney, American Math Society [Head of Composition Dept at the AMS] 5:00-10:00 pm Open Demos and Discussions -------------------------------------------------------------- For further information, contact: Dennis S. Arnon Computer Science Laboratory Xerox PARC Palo Alto, California 94304 (415) 494-4425 ARNON.PA@XEROX.COM ------------------------------ End of NA Digest ************************** -------