On Nov 28, 2007 1:22 PM, Philippe Saade <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Thank you all for your very interesting answers !
> [by the way, and don't know if my reply is posted on the right list...]

Yes it is.

> My first conclusions are that :
>
> ** one should avoid translating all functions' name and parameters to
> french (update problems, etc)

Good, since that's really hard to do and keep up to date.

> ** Windows port is not at all a priority : the best configuration for
> me seems to be a central server (Linux ?) and clients using firefox
> (linux, mac, W$)
> Maybe, a commercial and cheap service is possible for schools really
> afraid by administering such a client/server solution.
> Maybe a french university or administration could handle that... in the end

In the long run it seems a commercial service maybe somehow
partnered with a company like Google or something is inevitable.
I'm not sure I like that or not, but it does just seem inevitable. since
demand for it constantly arises.

> ** A good tutorial is needed, urgently. Ooops, Sorry : there are
> already VERY good tutorials for SAGE beginners but something in french
> AND of a lower math level is needed. Some kind of collection of
> tutorials, each focusing on a specific math/SAGE aspect. Learning
> python and SAGE by bit.

That makes a great deal of sense.

> ** Certainely, a french version of the description of the most
> important and used functions. And don't know if that should be called
> i18n ? For example, i have in mind the GDM Login Manager which has an
> xml file with "Welcome on %n" translated in nearly any language...
> Would that slow down too much the notebook ?
> Is it easy to do and maintain ?

I suspect it wouldn't be too difficult.  It would be extremely useful if
anybody could give some examples of nontrivial *Python programs*
that have been internationalized, so we don't have to reinvent
the wheel.

> ** a 3D GUI for plotting and animation....
> Could we use Blender Python API for that ? It's an open source software...

We keep failing to truly come up with a good interactive
3d graphics solution, and all our
home-grown solutions have fallen flat.  vtk might work, but it's very
complicated
and even mayavi isn't user friendly,  and the documentation for vtk sucks
(only because it is pay-only).     Especially with 3d graphics it will
be optimal
if the Sage people don't have to do most of the work, since 3d graphics is
not at all our core interest or speciality.  So it would be wonderful if
there were a good project out there to piggyback on.

I have looked at Blender a few times in the past and not seen how it
could work for what we want.    How would it be of any use at all
in the context of the notebook?  Based on what you suggest above
about having a central server and using web browsers to view
content, you pretty much immediately restrict to java or some pain
in the ass VRML plugin for 3d graphics.    I don't think blender
would at all help there, but I would love to be proved wrong.

I should add that Robert Bradshaw did put a large amount of work
into a Java3d based approach to 3d graphics for the sage notebook,
which looks very powerful and promising.  And it has the advantage
that it builds on an active high-quality 3d graphics project.

> but these conclusions might evolve in a close future...
>
> I need feedback anyway. And I don't know if the work is hard or very hard...
>
> Thanks to all
> Philippe Saadé
>
> On Nov 28, 2007 1:06 PM, mabshoff
>
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> > David,
> >
> > I assume that Philippe might not have followed this discussion here,
> > but I would like to get some feedback what exactly he needs Sage to to
> > for his project. Issues like Windows support, i18n and so on. We can
> > discuss this off list if he prefers to do so, but I would like to do
> > it on-list.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Michael
> >
> > >
> >
>
> >
>



-- 
William Stein
Associate Professor of Mathematics
University of Washington
http://wstein.org

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