help-octave
[Top][All Lists]
Advanced

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Octave workshop for Octave 3.0.0 on windows Xp


From: Tatsuro MATSUOKA
Subject: Re: Octave workshop for Octave 3.0.0 on windows Xp
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:49:27 +0900 (JST)

Hello 

I'm using the Octave for nummerical analysys lecture at the University.
What's is important is detaied introduction of the usage.
There wre no troubles which caeme from the octave did not have a  GUI.
By the conbination the suitable text editor (Emacs or SciTE), 
mouse handing ssuppoerted terminal(last year lecture was done by cygwin based 
octave for windows so
that I used the rxvt. Hoever even cmd.exe is rather usable if it is worked in 
'easy edit' mode); and 
readline facilies, the lecuture went well last year.

I do not deny the existence of GUI but I think it should not be done by the 
current main active
developper.
As some colleages pointed out, there are some good GUI frontends.
I think it is OK now.
What is most important is an easy tutrial for beginners.
Perhaps because the octave is now being popular than before, there appear the 
colleages who will write
the tutorial for beginners.
I'm an optimist on this point.  Time will improve thing the better.

Regards

Tatsuro


--- "A. Kalten" <address@hidden> wrote:

> On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:58:21 +0100
> Francesco Potorti` <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> > 
> > The main problem, as I see it, is look and feel.  A command-line GUI is
> > *not* what people expect and are accustomed to use.  This is becoming
> > more and more true in the Unix world as well, but it is *much* more
> > important among Windows and Mac users.  While on Unix almost everyone is
> > accustomed to using a command line at least every now and then, on Mac
> > and Windows *only* nerds know that such a thing exists and can be used
> > in practice by a normal user.
> > 
> 
> The main problem is that software like Octave requires a comparatively
> sophisticated computer user and not one that always insists on the "crutch"
> of a graphical interface.
> 
> Advanced mathematical computation, which is what Octave is all about,
> depends on a prior knowledge of many things.  The user must understand
> the difference between floating point and integer representation,
> round-off error, and the discrete nature of numerical algorithms.
> A package like Octave cannot be used intelligently without a sufficient
> background in these, and many other, basic digital principles.
> Those who are unfamiliar with the command-line interface are most likely
> unfamiliar with the digital concepts of mathematics as well, and,
> I am not sorry to say, they have no business using Octave.
> 
> If a student finds the command line to be an impossible environment
> the fault is certainly that of his university or college.  A course
> in basic computer science, as well as in numerical methods, should
> be prerequisites for the use of octave in the classroom.  This
> may appear unnecessarily harsh, but a strong background in computation
> will help any student tremendously later in his life no matter what
> the career.
> 
> Let us not forget the KISS idea: Keep It Simple ******.  Why
> should octave developers waste time and effort perfecting a
> graphical interface that will only benefit the unprepared dilettante
> or dabbler?  The competent mathematician or scientist will certainly
> appreciate the efforts of Open Source software and it is toward this
> group that Octave should be primarily directed.
> 
> AK
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Help-octave mailing list
> address@hidden
> https://www.cae.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/help-octave
> 


--------------------------------------
Easy + Joy + Powerful = Yahoo! Bookmarks x Toolbar
http://pr.mail.yahoo.co.jp/toolbar/


reply via email to

[Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread]