Re: Starting using octave

[robert Macy]

I became interested in math software when a requirement to
do some massive data crunching on finite element analyses
results motivated me to try various matlab compatible
software.  Even though installed on this machine is MatLab
7.0 I don't use it.  

When I first started with octave, I read the manual
entirely through except for some detailed later chapters
and usually keep the manual on the screen as I walk through
my attempts at running octave.  

One of the first examples with the differential equations
crashed several times before I ever noticed slight typos
kept creeping in.  (Like it wasn't my fault.)

More and more as I have been using octave, I have grown to
appreciate its simplicity and power.

In learning octave I understand the origin of the
difficulties I've faced.  Like most technology, once each
piece is learned, it is a case of, "Of course, that's
obvious.  Now I see why that wasn't even written down."  

To change anything in octave I, as many others may feel, do
not understand octave well enough to consider myself expert
enough to be an adequate/effective contributor in order to
 suggest implementable changes. At my embryonic point in
time, my only possible "contribution" is critiquing -
analysis, not synthesis.  

The manual was pretty good.  Given its excellent structure
it is possible to add many points that would improve it for
the novice, such as examples, descriptions of nuances,
cross correlations.  

In order to effectively add features to the manual, yet
keep the manual a living document, it must be written in a
manner that allows updating to follow new octave releases
without having to do major rewrites.  I don't have a lot of
experience in the area of document construction.  

I would like to help.  Is there someone who is the focus of
writing the manual (a person who, like the chief editor,
maintains the manual's sense of continuity?

I used the phrase "customer service" meaning that I've not
had any customer service of value from purchased software,
including software that cost over $26K  

             - Robert -



On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 13:26:54 -0600
 "John W. Eaton" <address@hidden> wrote:
> On 30-Nov-2003, robert Macy <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> | Just a simple list of "how to" step by step
> instructions
> | would have been greatly appreciated. A little more
> | attention toward the creation of the manual and having
> the
> | manual contain examples would have helped.  
> 
> Did you read the introduction to the Octave manual?  It
> does contain
> some basic tutorial information.  Perhaps it is not
> simple enough, or
> lacks some other essential component.  Unfortunately, I
> don't know how
> to make it much better.  Perhaps you, as someone who has
> recently had
> some trouble learning how to use Octave, could provide
> some concrete
> suggestions for how to improve it.  Better yet, it would
> be helpful if
> you, or someone else who is not satisfied with the
> current state of
> the manual, could help to improve it.
> 
> I remain optimistic that the project will succeed as more
> people
> realize that they must contribute in order for things to
> improve.  But
> if that doesn't happen, and people only expect to get
> something for
> nothing, then I may eventually have to realign my
> expectations.
> 
> | However, once through the initial hazing phase I am
> very
> | satisfied with the power and robustness of octave, not
> to
> | mention the *excellent* customer service one gets here
> in
> | the help group.  
> 
> I like to think of this as a community effort, not a
> customer/vendor
> relationship.  But if only a few people are providing and
> many others
> are using, then I can see how there could be a
> misunderstanding.
> Also, to me, "customer" usually has some connotation of
> "paying".
> 
> jwe
> 
> 
> 
>
-------------------------------------------------------------
> Octave is freely available under the terms of the GNU
> GPL.
> 
> Octave's home on the web:  http://www.octave.org
> How to fund new projects:
>  http://www.octave.org/funding.html
> Subscription information:
>  http://www.octave.org/archive.html
>
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> 



-------------------------------------------------------------
Octave is freely available under the terms of the GNU GPL.

Octave's home on the web:  http://www.octave.org
How to fund new projects:  http://www.octave.org/funding.html
Subscription information:  http://www.octave.org/archive.html
-------------------------------------------------------------