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RE: [Axiom-developer] Emacs mode in Windows


From: Bill Page
Subject: RE: [Axiom-developer] Emacs mode in Windows
Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 22:41:37 -0400

On April 29, 2006 9:53 PM C Y wrote:
> ...
> The pamphlet version is here:
> 
> http://wiki.axiom-developer.org/SandBoxAxiomEmacsMode
> 
> and should work fine on Linux.

I think your emacs mode project using pamphlet files on
Axiom Wiki is a great demonstration of how to do this kind
of collaboration on line. Good work Cliff and Jay!

> But that version (e.g., the one generated directly from
> that pamphlet) will not run on Windows for two, possibly
> three reasons:

If it proves necessary, you might consider including an
alternate <<windows-main>>= chunk that would allow one to
tangle a windows version of the code from the same source
document. You can select this chunk in the drop down box
next to the 'tangle' button. Then clicking 'tangle' would
generate a windows version of your code.

> 
> 1.  The "axiom" command used on Linux is not the one that
> works on Windows - I needed
> C:/Program Files/axiom/mnt/window/AxiomSYS.exe
> or something like that.

Actually just 'AXIOMsys' should work fine if the Windows
version of Axiom was installed by the automatic installer
or if the AXIOMsys.exe binary is in the PATH (as set by
the installer).

> 
> 2.  I took out the -noht and -noclef options.  I might
> not have had to do that - this is the one I'm not sure
> about - but they don't seem to be needed here.

They are not needed and would probably be ignored if passed
to AXIOMsys.

> 
> 3.  The code I use to clean up the double (1) -> prompt on 
> Linux causes a hang on Windows, because the version of Axiom
> in the Windows binary doesn't produce the double (1) ->.  So
> I had to comment that out.  I might be able to conditionalize
> it for Window vs. Linux if Emacs can tell me where I'm running,
> but that's a temporary measure at best.  I'm not quite sure
> how to handle it - does anyone know why the Linux version
> produces that initial double prompt?  If that could go away
> things would be simpler.

The reason for this difference is that there is no 'sman'
program on Windows - at least not yet - because we do not
have Axiom graphics and hyperdoc on Windows.

On linux the 'axiom' command does not start Axiom directly,
instead it calls the 'sman' program which then starts the
Axiom main process 'AXIOMsys', the Axiom graphics process,
the hyperdoc process and sets up the communication between
these processes. The option -noht tells sman not to start the
hyperdoc process. The option -noclef tells sman not to use
Axiom's line input filter process to replace 'readline'.
(Windows DOS window has similar built-in functionality.)

One side-effect of starting Axiom through sman is the double
prompt which is caused because sman asks Axiom to create a
new "frame". Another side effect is the larger number of
processes running.

On linux it is also possible to call AXIOMsys directly just
like on Windows. In that case you will only see a single
prompt on both Windows and linux. In fact it is probably a
good idea to call AXIOMsys directly like this *unless* you
really do need to use Axiom graphics in your emacs session.

> ...  This [email] is partially to preserve the changes it
> took to make it work on Windows, partially to announce that
> it CAN work on Windows at all, and partially taking pity on
> those stuck with a DOS window ;-).

I think it would be a good idea to include this sort of design
information somewhere in the SandBoxAxiomEmacsMode pamphlet
file maybe associated with the <<windows-main>>= chunk I
suggested above?

> It may be that the other mode on AxiomonEmacs (axiom-smallest
> or some such) works and works better for now, but since this
> one has been demonstrated to work (on WinXP anyway) I wanted
> to let folks know.

I think that's great news. I think you might be surprised to
learn how many people actually use xemacs on windows and how
many people install the Windows version of Axiom as their first
contact with Axiom. We badly need to build a new Windows binary
distribution real-soon-now and I think we should definitely
should include an emacs mode and maybe even the option of
installing xemacs itself with this mode pre-installed. We
already do this for the TeXmacs interface. (Windows users expect
everything to be done for them! :) The last Windows binary was
created from the Windows source distribution more than a year
ago and the Windows source distribution itself is not up to
date with the linux sources.

> 
> I think this mode will have to stay in the Sandbox for quite
> a while - there are many changes and features to come before
> it can claim to be a really serious asset to users or
> developers.
> 

Keep up the good work!

Regards,
Bill Page.






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