Re: Adding a generic mathematical library

[Emanuel Berg]

Christopher Dimech wrote:

> Richard has suggested extracting a calc function that
> includes a substantial amount of code to do a specific kind
> of calculation.
>
> To address Eli's valid criticism and focus on something
> practical and existing, let's enhance the existing emacs
> calc package for mathematical computations.

Ah, right, that is true, the way both reacted to this whole
thing and now this timely decision, there is absolutely
nothing fishy going on, they do it out of concern for calc -
I see.

Calc is as you say a package and a tool. Why it should
monopolize and assimilate generic math libraries I wonder?
Instead, it should focus on its interface and some settings
perhaps at the most and when in need of math, consult
a library for that - a generic library that anyone and
everyone could use just as well.

That said, calc has a lot of good stuff, just using that code
isn't natural in any way for whatever computation you would
like to do in Elisp or in your own application? Yeah,
it is completely backwards actually!

Instead of a tool using a library, we here attach the library
as an underbelly to the tool! Maybe some guy in the 80s came
up with that design but, as the saying goes, development has
gone forward.

Truth to the matter, people are not gonna be enthusiastic
about that, everyone knows that, and that tool isn't used
a lot as it is and this is likely to decrease even more.

If we had real libraries, people could do new tools, including
tools we cannot imagine right now. And some people could work
on the libraries, other people could work on the tools. But it
is what it is. Couple of too many mistakes and then it is not
going to happen.

-- 
underground experts united
https://dataswamp.org/~incal