[Axiom-developer] Re: [Axiom-mail] TeX vs LaTeX output on AXIOM

[root]

Bill,

I've created a branch called axiom--crystal--1 which creates a new
subdirectory src/crystal. In that subdirectory is a file all.spad
which shows work I've been doing on the question you raised about
the algebra lattice.

In particular, all.spad was created as follows:

(1) all of the spad files were concatenated
       
   This creates the pile of existing code that needs to be considered.

(2) all documentation strings were removed

   We're only after the relationship of code to code so we don't need docs.

(3) all function implementation code was removed

   We're interested in the category and domain relationship so we don't 
   need to know how functions work.

(4) Each unique category and domain signature line is broken out and
    classified so it can be parsed. 

   This allows us to find the general and specific patterns that are
   used within the categories and domains. 

I'm currently working on step (4). This will allow us to write code
to automatically generate the lattice. From that code we can create
a lattice-based browser which is planned to be one of the many facets
of the crystal interface.


Crystal, in case I haven't mentioned it, is my attack on the 30-year
problem of merging the mathematics with the code. Literate programming
is just an initial step. We can clearly parse the code in a literate
program but we can't yet do anything with the mathematics. Crystal
is an effort to attack this.

The fundamental "mental picture" of the crystal idea has 2 parts.
 
Part 1 is like a huge knotted ball of string in space. This data
structure (now called a "Jenks graph" (named after Dick Jenks))
contains nodes and links. The nodes are data structures similar
to "concepts" in a semantic network or a knowledge-base system.
The links are also data-structures which contain relational 
semantics between the nodal concepts. I have code to support the
Jenks graph in common lisp but have not yet uploaded it as it is
still "in process". It will eventually show up in the src/crystal
directory and I'll let you know when it is there.

Part 2 is like a huge, hollow crystal that surrounds the Jenks graph.
The crystal is also a data structure (called a "Susan graph") which
contains "facets". Facets are ways of looking at a Jenks graph. The
easiest (albeit too shallow) way of thinking about a facet is that
you compute some information from the Jenks graph and pipe it into 
a display program (the facet) like a browser tab.

Tim