[OpenMath Mailing List Index]
Re: Preliminary OpenMath Workshop Report
From smvorker@maplesoft.on.ca Sun Feb 20 18:49:42 1994
Subject: Preliminary OpenMath Workshop Report
Cc: smvorker@maplesoft.on.ca
Here is the preliminary draft of the report on the OpenMath workshop
which Chris and I will be submitting to the OpenMath mailing list.
Before we do, we need a few details filled in. Could you each look at
this, and add what you see fit. I will incorporate the changes and then
send the report out.
Stefan
THIS DOCUMENT IS INCOMPLETE. SEARCH FOR ??? TO SEE WHERE WORK IS NEEDED.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Open Math Workshop
ETH Zurich
December 17-18, 1993
INVITED PARTICIPANTS
??? This section will be reformatted when the list is finalized ???
John Abbot
Bruno Buchberger
David Clark
Arjeh Cohen
Stephane Dalmas
James Davenport
Richard Fateman
John Fitch
Benno Fuchsteiner
Marc Gaetano
A. Galligo
Keith Geddes
Morven Gentleman
Gaston Gonnet
Dominik Gruntz
Tony Hearn
Chris Howlett
Richard Jenks
Norbert Kajler
George Labahn
Helmut Lenzig
Roman Maeder
Niklaus Mannhart
Michael Monagan
Ron Neumann
Bruno Salvy
Alain Sausse
Mika Seppala
Carlo Traverso
Jos Vermaseren
Stefan Vorkoetter
Paul Wang
Stephen Watt
Wolfgang Weck
ATTENDEES
??? Gaston - were any of the following people NOT there? ???
??? Was anyone there who is not on this list? Cohen? ???
??? This section will be reformatted when the list is finalized ???
John Abbot
==========John Abbot did not come================
Heikki Apiola
Stephane Dalmas
=============not sure about above===================
James Davenport
John Fitch
================the above two did not come===============
Marc Gaetano
A. Galligo
Gaston Gonnet
Dominik Gruntz
Chris Howlett
Norbert Kajler
Helmut Lenzig
===============did not come====================
Niklaus Mannhart
Michael Monagan
Alain Sausse
==============do not know================
Mika Seppala
Carlo Traverso
Jos Vermaseren
Stefan Vorkoetter
Wolfgang Weck
Clifton Williamson
PURPOSE
A workshop to formulate a character based standard for the exchange
of mathematical formulas and other mathematical objects between
programs.
PROCEEDINGS
For any presentations accompanied by paper(s), we omit detail here
and refer the reader to the paper(s).
Gaston Gonnet gave an introduction to OpenMath, and outlined some of
the requirements that such a protocol must have in order to function
in arbitrary environments. Some of these requirements are:
- text (character) based
- can be sent by electronic mail
- a limit on line length
- extensible
Chris Howlett outlined Waterloo Maple Software's plans for OpenMath:
- committed to implementing a client/server math architecture
for Maple during 1994
- need a standard such as OpenMath to ensure utility and
acceptance; input from and agreement of a large group is
essential
Stefan Vorkoetter described the current OpenMath proposal, as put
forward by Waterloo Maple Software. During the ensuing discussion,
some weaknesses and Maple-specific aspects were discovered:
- choice of data structures too Maple-biased
- how to decide which operators/functions to include
Heikki Apiola described ESC, an Environment for Scientific
Computation, which combines various mathematical tools.
Wolfgang Weck described his concept of a math protocol, based on
modular decomposition and type extension:
"A Module Library for Computer Algebra"
Dominik Gruntz, Wolfgang Weck
- submitted for ISSAC 94.
Marc Gaetano described the ASAP protocol:
"Designing a protocol for exchanging mathematical objects"
S. Dalmas, M. Gaetano, A. Sausse
"The ASAP Protocol: a description"
S. Dalmas, M. Gaetano, A. Sausse
"A C library for ASAP"
S. Dalmas, A. Sausse
Carlo Traverso described POSSO:
"The POSSO External Data Representation"
Norbert Kajler spoke on building a computer algebra environment:
- described the SAFIR project and CAS/&pi
"Building a Computer Algebra Environment by Composition of
Collaborative Tools"
Norbert Kajler
Mika Seppala gave a brief historical review of EuroMath.
DISCUSSIONS
Syntax
- general agreement (expression trees in LISP-like notation).
- modifying the proposed standard seemed to be acceptable. ???
- it was agreed that the sequences defined by SGML standard
would be adopted for special characters.
- there is still the issue of which escape character to use.
Semantics
- it was agreed that the basic proposal should support all the
functions in Abramowitz and Stegun, Chapters 1 to 3.
- the standard should allow for the definition of packages of
functions as extensions.
Attributes
- basic attributes do not belong in the standard, but rather in
packages (eg. a package of typesetting attributes).
Types
- the proposal from WMS had too many Maple-specific types. The
following base types were suggested:
- numbers
- integer
- floating point (including complex)
- symbols
- sets
- arrays
Sub-, super-, and other-scripts
- there was intense discussion about what method should be used
to represent these.
- eventually, it was generally agreed that this was beyond the
scope of the standard, because these are typographical, and
not mathematical, attributes.
Functions
- after some discussion, it became clear that it would be both
impossible and undesirable to include all possible functions
in the base proposal.
- there would always be functions that someone considers
important that were left out.
- four extensions were proposed:
- Polynomial Manipulation
- Group Theory
- Programming
- Tensors
Control Layer
- discussion was deferred for future meetings.
ASSIGNMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES
Waterloo Maple Software
- prepare the OpenMath mailing list (openmath@maplesoft.on.ca).
- prepare this report.
- update the OpenMath proposal based on the discussions at the
workshop. Some things that are to be incorporated are:
- simplified structure level operators.
- a method to determine packages understood.
- in-line OpenMath recognition via <openmath>..<\openmath>.
- adoption of SGML character set extensions.
- an OpenMath to SGML mapping.
- a Maple extension to the standard.
- extensions for number bases.
- clarification of labels and references.
- simplification of concept of symbols.
- complex numbers.
Carlo Traverso
- design of an extension for polynomial manipulation.
Someone at CWI ??? Who? ???
- design of an extension for group theory.
Michael Monagan, Marc Gaetano
- design of an extension for programming.
Someone called MB ??? Who? ???
- design of an extension for tensors.
NEXT OPENMATH WORKSHOP
The next OpenMath workshop has been tentatively scheduled for the
two days (July 20,21) preceeding the ISSAC 94 conference, in Oxford,
England.
OPENMATH MAILING LIST
The following is the current content of the OpenMath mailing list.
Please submit any corrections required:
Andre.Van.Leeuwen@cwi.nl, Gruntz@inf.ethz.ch,
Mika.Seppala@Helsinki.fi, benno@uni-paderborn.de,
bmt@watson.ibm.com, bronstein@inf.ethz.ch,
chowlett@maplesoft.on.ca, dalmas@sophia.inria.fr,
drclark@daisy.waterloo.edu, fateman@cs.berkeley.edu,
gaetano@sophia.inria.fr, galligo@sophia.inria.fr,
giusti@ariana.polytechnique.fr, gonnet@inf.ethz.ch,
hannes@mathematik.uni-kl.de, heikki.apiola@helsinki.fi,
jenks@watson.ibm.com, kajler@sophia.inria.fr, mannhart@inf.ethz.ch,
marchand@ariana.polytechnique.fr, monagan@inf.ethz.ch,
pwang@mcs.kent.edu, sausse@sophia.inria.fr,
smvorkoetter@maplesoft.on.ca, smwatt@watson.ibm.com,
stobbe@mathematik.uni-kl.de, t68@nikhef.nl, traverso@dm.unipi.it,
trtyhurs@maplesoft.on.ca, weck@inf.ethz.ch, williamson@inf.ethz.ch,
jcnash@acadvm1.uottawa.ca, roger@tcisoft.com, jaa@maths.bath.ac.uk,
jhd@maths.bath.ac.uk, jpff@maths.bath.ac.uk, hearn@rand.org,
melenk@sc.zib-berlin.de, acn1@phx.cam.ac.uk,
openmath@posso.dm.unipi.it, allan@prescience.com,
arnon.pa@xerox.com, F.J.Wright@qmw.ac.uk,
Strotman@RRz.Uni-Koeln.DE, charliep@hpcvrs.cv.hp.com,
TJERL@aci.cvut.cz, GRABM@DHDIBM1.BITNET