Axiom Developers; Over a year ago we were discussing how best to represent Axiom's algebra dependency graph. This is a complex problem because Axiom has over 1,300 mathematically modules that are tightly integrated with each other - even to the point of generating a large number cyclical dependency chains in the underlying code. This considerably complicates bootstrap process by which Axiom is built and could even call into question the fundamental means by which these dependency loops are solved in the current build (e.g. It is known that just a single iteration of bootstrap -> compile -> bootstrap is not sufficient to produce a fixed point solution.)
A Java graph theory-based package is also currently used as part of the build process for the Axiom Aldor extension written by Peter Broadbery. I believe that Peter is currently re-writing this graph package (in Aldor?) so that the Axiom Aldor extensions can be built as part of the Axiom build without requiring Java. Ralf Hemmecke and I had previously started work on a graphics package for Axiom/Aldor but time constraints and other priorities have resulted in no new progress over the last several months. Anyway, I think I may have finally stumbled across some open source graphics software that might be up to the task of visualizing and manipulating Axiom's dependency graph and it may well also be a suitable model for developing a native graphics package for Axiom. https://networkx.lanl.gov/wiki High productivity software for complex networks NetworkX (NX) is a Python package for the creation, manipulation, and study of the structure, dynamics, and functions of complex networks. Features: * Allows for 1M+ nodes, 10M+ edges * Includes standard graph-theoretic and statistical physics functions * Easy exchange of network algorithms between applications, disciplines, and platforms * Includes many classic graphs and synthetic networks * Nodes and edges can be "anything" (e.g. time-series, text, images, XML records) * Exploits existing code from high-quality legacy software in C, C++, Fortran, etc. * Open source (encourages community input) ------------ It is also notable that the Sage developers have chosen to integrate NetworkX into Sage rather than build their own graphics package. The Sage Graph Theory project http://sage-wiki.axiom-developer.org/graph has produced a very interesting review of open source graphics programs. See: http://sage-wiki.axiom-developer.org/graph_survey If anyone else is interested in discussing the development and use of a graph theory package for Axiom, I would be very glad to hear from you. Regards, Bill Page. _______________________________________________ Axiom-developer mailing list [email protected] http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/axiom-developer
