Re: [Axiom-developer] Fork time

[Bill Page]

Waldek,

On 6/29/07, you wrote:
> ... I plan to created a new project called FriCAS -- many details are
> undecided yet (even the name may change).

I was amused when I saw the name you chose for the new project.
Perhaps it is not obvious to a non-English speaker (or perhaps this
really was your intention since there is a similar word in French) but
this project name bears a very close similarity the to English word
'fracas' meaning: "a noisy quarrel or brawl"

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?sourceid=Mozilla-search&va=fracas

That certainly seems appropriate given the nature of recent exchanges
on this email list. :-)

This name also has other mostly humorous connotations to me, but I can
think of some like "Fri" as in Friday (today), so FriCAS would be
today's version of the former Axiom project... Or maybe Fri as a
suffix that sounds like "free"??

Anyway, I think it is a terrible choice of name.

> Let me shortly state my reasons:
> - I feel that current "official" statements about Axiom project
>   are harmful for the project
> - my attempts to change project direction are labeled as
>   stealing the project -- new project should make situation
>   clear
>
> I value Axiom comunity, but feel that leaving current project is
> the best way to clarify situation.

While I do agree with you and I also strongly disagree with most of
the current "official" statements about the Axiom project, I am not
sure that creating a fork of the Axiom project is such a good idea. I
am disappointed that so few people were willing to reply to William
Sit and Tim Daly's request for a vote on the subject of whether to
promote wh-sandbox as our best candidate for a new Axiom Gold, but my
sense is that in spite of the silence, this proposal has the support
of a majority of the people who are reading this list and who are
seriously interested in Axiom. I still consider this a much better
alternative than the creation of a new project.

http://wiki.axiom-developer.org/VoteASuggestionForGold

On the other hand, if you personally have enough energy and time to
devote to an entirely new development path for Axiom and you are
confident that you will be able to attract the interest of other
developers and users of computer algebra systems who for what ever
reason are not currently interested in the existing Axiom project,
then this might be a positive development for both the "old" Axiom
project and the new FirCAS project.

If you are serious, then this a a bold step and I thank you again for
your continuing contributions to this work - by what ever name you
wish to call it. :-)

Regards,
Bill Page.