SUI: a system independent user interface for an integrated scientific computing environment

ABSTRACT

The design and implementation of a Scientific User Interface is presented. Written in the C language, SUI is a window-menu-mouse oriented graphical user interface that is designed to provide a modern and integrated computing environment for scientific work. SUI can serve multiple client systems in parallel including symbolic, numeric, graphics and document formatting systems. SUI achieves hardware and operating system independence as well as network transparency by employing the X11 protocols and achieves client system independence by defining a client-SUI protocol that is simple and effective. Features of SUI includes input editing, history, 2-D mathematical expression display, interactive selection of subexpressions, interactive display and manipulation of 2-D and 3-D plots of mathematical functions, cut and paste with syntax translation, command templates, incremental 2-D display of mathematical input, and interactive configuration. A prototype system demonstration is planned for ISSAC'90

REFERENCES

• 1: S. Kamal Abdali, Guy W. Cherry, Neil Soiffer. "Spreadsheet Computations in Computer Algebra," Technical Report No. CR-87-14, Computer research Lab, Tektronix, Inc. Beaverton, Oregon. Februaxy 19, 1987.
• 2: Dennis Arnon , Richard Beach , Kevin McIsaac , Carl Waldspurger, CaminoReal: an interactive mathematical notebook, Proceedings of the International Conference on Electronic Publishing on Document manipulation and typography, p.1-18, May 1988, Nice, France
• 3: Dan Bennett, "XGP: An X-based Interactive Graphics Package for Mathematical Functions," Master's thesis in progress, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA.
• 4: Bruce W. Char, Keith O. Geddes, Gaston H. Gonnet, M. B. Monagan and Steven M. Watt, "Maple Reference Manual, 5th Edition, WATCOM Publications Limited, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 1988.
• 5: J. H. Davenport , C. E. Roth, PowerMath: a system for the Macintosh, Proceedings of the fifth ACM symposium on Symbolic and algebraic computation, p.13-15, July 21-23, 1986, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada [doi>10.1145/32439.32442]
• 6: Jim Gettys, Ron Newman, and Robert W. Scheifier "Xlib - C Language X Inter/ace'X Window System, Protocol Version 11, Release 3, May 1988.
• 7: Anthony C. Hearn, ed. Reduce User's Manual, Version 3.0, The Rand Corporation, Santa Monica, California. April 1983.
• 8: Chia-Kai Hsu, "An Object-oriented Interactive Graphics Package Based on the X Window System", Master thesis, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent Ohio, Dec. 1988.
• 9: B. L. Leong, Iris: design of an user interface program for symbolic algebra, Proceedings of the fifth ACM symposium on Symbolic and algebraic computation, p.1-6, July 21-23, 1986, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada [doi>10.1145/32439.32440]
• 10: William A. Martin, Computer input/output of mathematical expressions, Proceedings of the second ACM symposium on Symbolic and algebraic manipulation, p.78-89, March 23-25, 1971, Los Angeles, California, United States [doi>10.1145/800204.806270]
• 11: Joel McCormack, Paul Asente, and Ralph R. Swick "X Toolkit Intrinsics - C Language X Interface" X Window System, X Version 11, Release 3, May 1988.
• 12: Richard Pavelle , Paul S Wang, MACSYMA from F to G, Journal of Symbolic Computation, v.1 n.1, p.69-100, March 1985 [doi>10.1016/S0747-7171(85)80030-4]
• 13: T. S. Perry , J. Voelcker, Of mice and menus: designing the user-friendly interface, IEEE Spectrum, v.26 n.9, p.46-51, September 1989 [doi>10.1109/6.90184]
• 14: C. J. Smith , N. Soiffer, MathScribe: a user interface for computer algebra systems, Proceedings of the fifth ACM symposium on Symbolic and algebraic computation, p.7-12, July 21-23, 1986, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada [doi>10.1145/32439.32441]
• 15: Ralph R. Swick and Terry Weissman "X Toolkit Athena Widgets - C Language X Interface" X Version 11, Release 3, May 1988.
• 16: Paul S. Wang, An introduction to Berkeley UNIX, Wadsworth Publ. Co., Belmont, CA, 1988
• 17: Paul S. Wang, Integrating symbolic, numeric and graphics computing techniques, Mathematical aspects of scientific software, Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., New York, NY, 1988
• 18: Paul S. Wang, A System Independent Graphing Package for Mathematical Functions, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Design and Implementation of Symbolic Computation Systems, p.245-254, April 10-12, 1990
• 19: D. A. Young , P. S. Wang, GI/S: A graphical user interface for symbolic computation systems, Journal of Symbolic Computation, v.4 n.3, p.365-380, Dec. 1988 [doi>10.1016/S0747-7171(87)80013-5]
• 20: AlaJn Zarli and Delia Balbontin. "Two approaches for the graphical edition of mathematical formulas: attributed grammars and object-oriented languages,' ISAAC 1988.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.3 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
      D.3.2 Language Classifications

          Nouns: C

Additional Classification:
  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.1 SYMBOLIC AND ALGEBRAIC MANIPULATION
  I.3 COMPUTER GRAPHICS
      I.3.1 Hardware architecture
          Subjects: Input devices
      I.3.6 Methodology and Techniques
          Subjects: Interaction techniques

General Terms:
Languages