Name: root Date: 05/19/04-02:06:50 PM Z
> Most CAS do _not_ document actual algorithms. Its even very
difficult (as
> a non expert)= to find/lookup the currently favored algorithms (for
say
> comparison with own better(?) ones).
I’m also the lead developer on Magnus, another special-purpose
computer
algebra system, and I’m having the same struggle. I’m currently
writing
documentation for the system and need to describe the algorithms, some
of which have never been written down before. It is a painful process
to describe an algorithm from computer code, especially when it is
written by programmers who don’t really understand the theory.
We need to keep the theory and the code together and have each one
explain the other. How else can you show that the code does what it
is intended to do?
That’s why I’m interested in the papers behind FeynCalc. If we can
get it into a literate format the code can be maintained for several
systems. But if we have to maintain and port code without the
underlying theory the task is hopeless.
t