|
|
**** The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ****
**** Computation Center ****
News Bulletin #18
29-April-1991
Today's topics:
- Exponent graphics software from IMSL is available.
- Maple - A symbolic Mathematical program is available.
- Tex version 3.1 (including Hebrew new code) is installed.
- ISEND - Send short interactive messages.
- Email to IBM's network changes.
- SAS version 6.06 is available.
- Software list.
o Exponent graphic: Exponent is a graphical package for 2D and 3D
applications. a short description of it (as was written by Marian
Dodu) follows:
Exponent Graphics System is a new package of IMSL inc. It raises
considerably the IMSL power of computation, by adding the possibility
of data drawing while serving also as a stand-alone graphical library.
In order to be independent of the original IMSL library, Exponent includes
some curve-fitting routines concerned to piecewise polynomials, splines
and B-splines, cubic splines, tensor product splines and least-squares.
In addition, the original IMSL routines that generate pseudorandom numbers,
like RNUN, RNUNF, RNGET, RNSET and RNOPT are also included.
Exponent supports 8 different types of devices:
- X Terminal
- PostScript Color Printer
- PostScript Monochrome Printer
- Tektronix Color Terminal (series 4100 or 4200)
- Tektronix Monochrome Terminal (like 4010)
- Hewlett-Packard Pen Plotter (like our HP7580)
- ReGIS Color Terminal (VT340)
- ReGIS Gray-Scale Terminal (VT125) which includes also Xterminal
using DECterm terminal emulator.
Concerning Exponent itself, it is based on a small number of main routines,
that perform the following drawing directions:
- 2-D sets of points
- analytical 2-D functions
- polynomials obtained by least-squares method
- piecewise polynomials (generally connected to spline functions)
- functions of one variable obtained through B-splines
- vertical and orizontal error bars
- simple or clustered bar charts
- 2-D histograms and frequency polygons
- pie charts
- boxplots for statistical grouped data
- vector plots
- polar plots
- contours for 3-D functions, either analytically given, or as 3-D
sets of points, or through a B-spline tensor product
- surfaces for 3-D functions, either analytically given, or as 3-D
sets of points, or through a B-spline tensor product, with the
possibility of use of shading and dithering
- 3-D histograms
In addition, the data may be interpreted in some distinct ways as:
- connected line segments
- markers
- stairstep plot (2-D)
- print y-data values on the plot (2-D)
- bar chart (2-D)
- grid data (3-D)
- vector field plot (2-D and 3-D)
- text at data points (2-D and 3-D)
- filled polygon (2-D)
- 3-D bar chart
- 2-D data set using a parametric cubic spline interpolant
- 2-D data set using error bars
The user has many extra options concerned the shape of text included in
the draw, like fonts, boldness, angle, color, size and so on. The same holds
for the lines, fill areas and markers. All these options may be defined
as local or global attributes either by calling some routines in C-language
style (for example by using a variable number of parameters) or by using
separate data files. In such data files the options are organized according
to a graphic tree. All these make Exponent an easy system to use.
In addition, the user's manual is clear and very rich in examples.
Exponent is supported at the computation center by Marian Dodu (phone 65-84937,
MARIAN@VMS) and Dr. Michael Engel (MICKY@CC).
o Maple: This is a symbolic mathematical package from Waterloo
including graphical representation of functions. A short
description of it (as was written by Dr. Michael Engel):
We are happy to announce that Maple, a general system for doing
symbolyc mathematical computations and plotting developed at the University
of Waterloo, Canada, has been installed. Not only numerical calculations
and plotting of functions, but also symbolic and algebraic operations
are performed. It ranges from factoring of polynomials, solutions of
equations through calculus (limits, derivatives, integrals, differential
equations and power series) to matrix algebra and beyond.
It has interfaces to other systems, like LaTeX formatting system,
postscript, C and FORTRAN languages etc.
To enter it, type PROVIDE MAPLE followed by MAPLE.
Shown here is an example for using Maple (> is its prompting command):
================================================================
> sum(i^4,i=1..x);
5 4 3
1/5 (x + 1) - 1/2 (x + 1) + 1/3 (x + 1) - 1/30 x - 1/30
> simplify(");
5 4 3
1/5 x + 1/2 x + 1/3 x - 1/30 x
> f := " * exp(-x);
5 4 3
f := (1/5 x + 1/2 x + 1/3 x - 1/30 x) exp(- x)
> int(f,x);
5 4 3 2
- 1/5 exp(- x) x - 3/2 exp(- x) x - 19/3 exp(- x) x - 19 x exp(- x)
1139 1139
- ---- exp(- x) x - ---- exp(- x)
30 30
> quit;
================================================================
Here, we have computed the sum on the 4th power of integer i from i=1 to x,
simplified the result, multiplied it by exp(-x) and integrated
it with respect to x.
Each command is ended with a semi-colon.
A selected list of useful commands will be provided soon.
For help, manuals, etc., please contact Dr. Michael Engel (MICKY@CC)
or Marian Dodu (MARIAN@VMS).
o Tex V3.1 - A new version of Tex is installed. This version includes
new features like Hebrew support (in new code), DVIPS previewer,
etc. For a transition period the old version will remain on-line.
In order to use the new Tex hit the command:
$ PROVIDE TEX3
For more information about it and to get a short guide please
contact Michael Engel (MICKY@CC).
o ISEND - Isend is a command to send intertactive messages to machines
connected via the InterNet. Up to now, one line messages between
different machines was available only via the BITnet command
SEND/MESSAGE. the ISEND command sends such message over the TCP/IP
protocol to machines that support it (not all machines support this
protocol). For more information about it see the ISEND topic at the
VMS HELP command.
o Mail to IBM.COM - The gateway to IBM internal network (VNET) has
been changed:
I have two comments about the IBM internet gateways. First, there've
been a few changes in the gateways, and those IBMers who were previously
addressed as "userid@node.iinus1.ibm.com" should now be addressed as
"userid@node.vnet.ibm.com". The "iinus1" address is still valid for
now, but you should switch to the "vnet" version. Also, the Watson
folks are using a new gateway at Watson rather than the Almaden gateway,
and so we've added "watson" to our internet address (so I'm now
"leiba@watson.ibm.com", for instance).
Second, there is now a directory of "vnet.ibm.com" users. Send a note
to nic@vnet.ibm.com with a "whois" request in the subject or in the
text of the note. This will currently ONLY find IBMers using the
vnet.ibm.com gateway. "help whois" will send you the following information:
The IBM Corporate Internet Gateway provides a directory of users
service to all. The ability of the gateway to respond in a
timely manner is enhanced by limiting any user to 25 name searches
per day.
To search for a name or names simply prefix each name with the
word 'WHOIS' in the sequence LASTNAME FIRSTNAME(s) or
LASTNAME, FIRSTNAME(s). The comma inhibits truncation of the LASTNAME.
Example: Whois Smith R would result in the answer:
"Smith R is Smith, J. Richard at VMNODE.Tertiary_DOM.IBM.COM"
"Smith R is Smith, Robert J. at VMNODE.Tertiary_DOM.IBM.COM"
"Smith R is Smithers, Richard L. at VMNODE.Tertiary_DOM.IBM.COM"
"Smith R is Smithsonian, Royal Z. at VMNODE.Tertiary_DOM.IBM.COM"
Example: Whois Smith, R would result in the answer:
"Smith R is Smith, J. Richard at VMNODE.Tertiary_DOM.IBM.COM"
"Smith R is Smith, Robert J. at VMNODE.Tertiary_DOM.IBM.COM"
Multiple requests may be made in a single note provided they do
not exceed the daily limit of 25.
o SAS version 6: The newer version is installed on the VAX along with
the old one for a transition period. In order to use the new SAS
you have to enter the command:
$ PROVIDE SAS6
and then issue the command SAS6 to invoke it. A short description
of the differences between the new and the old version was prepared
by Marian Dodu:
Soon the licence of using SAS 5.18 will expire. Therefore the users are
asked to start using the new version 6.06 of SAS. In principle, the programs
already written in SAS 5.18 may be run also in SAS 6.06 without any
changes. In order to do it, you have to "switch" to SAS 6.06 once at the
beginning of then session as desctibed above.
In order to run a SAS program, use the command:
$ sas606....... or, shortly,
$ sas6.......
The command may be used in non-interactive mode, line mode, display
manager mode or batch mode.
In non-interactive mode, the form of activating is:
$ sas6 SOURCE
where SOURCE is the name of a file .SAS that contains the SAS program.
In line mode, the form of activating is:
$ sas6/nodms
In display manager mode, the form of activating is:
$ sas6/fsd=.....
where "fsd" is the full screen device type like VT100, VT340, TEK4107 etc.
In batch mode, the user have to write a DCL procedure in a file .COM and
submit it to batch queue (SYS$BATCH is the only one suitable for SAS).
In addition, there is the possibility to use the DECwindows interface to
the SAS system, but it requires a terminal with Xwindows (DECwindows)
capability. In this case, the command will be:
$ sas6/dms/decwindow
In the future, when the version 5.18 will not be in the VAX system, the
user will can use the version 6.06 like 5.18 today, i.e. the command will
be "sas" and not "sas6".
If the user has used the SAS libraries in the old version, he can
continue to use his informations, simply translating the 5.18-form library
into a 6.06-form library using the 6.06 procedure V5TOV6.
For more details, please contact Marian at phone 65-84937 or by E-mail at
marian@vms.
o Software list: An updated list of all the software packages available on
the VAX can be found at the guide GUIDES$:SOFTWARE.TXT
|
