Re: [Axiom-developer] Front page esthetic

[Jay Belanger]

"Bill Page" <address@hidden> writes:
...
>> ...
>> > | 2) The Axiom Wiki FrontPage has more graphics including an
>> > |    example Axiom output graphic.
>> >
>> > That, from my perspective, contributes to the "visual load".
>>
>> I agree with this,
>
> :( Well, I really like the example ... in fact I have even given
> a wild thought to how we might make the from page choose randomly
> between a large set of similar examples so that a visitor might
> be treated to a new one at each visit ...

That's a pretty neat idea.

> I still don't know what is meant by the phrase "visual load".

Too many things calling for their attention at the same time.
This doesn't seem to be a problem anymore.

>> but what's more, I don't think that linking "Try Axiom" to the
>> SandBox is that helpful.
>
> Really??! As far as I can see this is actually one of the most
> frequently used wiki features of this web site.

That just means that people want to try Axiom out than add anything to
the wiki.

>> If a visitor to the webpage wants to give Axiom a quick try,
>> sending them to a lengthy discussion of the sandbox might be
>> discouraging.
>
> Perhaps it is verbose but it does not seem to be very discouraging
> given the number of quick tries that we record.

Well, then, I'm wrong.  It would discourage me, but perhaps the
typical visitor is more wiki savvy than I am.

>> Perhaps a link to a "Trying Axiom" page which has a couple of
>> lines of how to try it out might be helpful.  I'd be happy to
>> give it a shot myself, if desired.
>
> Yes, I think it is very desirable. Please give it a try.

Okay, but according to your numbers, it isn't very important.

>> I think a link to a page which interactively runs Axiom would
>> be more desirable: Yacas has something
>> like that (Yacas runs in a Java applet:
>> http://yacas.sourceforge.net/yacasconsole.html)
>>  and Maxima does also (http://math.msarnoff.org/).
>
> To me these interfaces seem trivial and nearly useless. But if we
> really do want something like this then it is easily done.

If I want to try out a command line program (like Axiom), I'd like to
just enter a command and see what happens, rather than edit a wiki.
But I guess that's just me.

> Yes, it has gone through quite a few revisions over the last
> 6 months and it is still evolving. It is a community effort.

Yes, but you seem to be in charge of the community effort.  So let me
add my voice to all the thanks you've been getting!

Jay