Gentoo Archives: gentoo-lisp

From: "Marijn Schouten (hkBst)" <hkBst@g.o>
To: bj48@×××××××.edu
Cc: gentoo-lisp@l.g.o
Subject: [gentoo-lisp] Re: gcl and maxima
Date: Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:49:00
Message-Id: 4A7EB558.70903@gentoo.org
1 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
2 Hash: SHA1
3
4 Hi Bohumir,
5
6 CC'ing our low-volume project mailing list
7
8 Bohumir Jelinek wrote:
9 > Dear Marijn,
10 >
11 > I found that "gcl" use flags was removed for the package
12 > "maxima-5.18.1" on Gentoo recently. I have
13 > sci-mathematics/maxima-5.18.1 installed and running on Gentoo amd64
14 > and also x86 architecture with dev-lisp/gcl-2.6.8_pre20090419-r1.
15 >
16 > I really like to have "maxima" with "gcl" since maxima with gcl was
17 > much faster than with any other lisp that I tried about a half a year
18 > ago. I was running a maxima code that took about 15-30 minutes to
19 > finish and the speedup using gcl versus any other lisps was really
20 > significant.
21
22 - From the Maxima website I understand that CMUCL is the fastest option for
23 Maxima. SBCL is a fork of CMUCL and is currently the most popular, best
24 supported and has the fastest development of all free Common Lisp implementation
25 that I know of. I say that mostly to contrast SBCL with GCL which at times
26 appears completely dead upstream. Due to GCL's inactivity and lack of use and
27 development it has a lot of problems which I have no time to solve. Masking and
28 possible removal of GCL has been something which has been on the table for a
29 long time[1] but which I have been reluctant to actually do. I would prefer not
30 to get rid of GCL but for now to discourage its use and prepare for a possible
31 removal I have masked it. Upstream seems to be working on a release at a snail's
32 pace and looks to be in the final phases of preparing for a release but still it
33 might take them many months. Depending on what actually happens GCL may be
34 removed (possibly temporarily).
35
36 Anyway, you have two options:
37
38 1) Try SBCL.
39 2) Unmask GCL.
40
41 > Since maxima-5.18.1 compiled and runs for me (although it was some
42 > time ago, using gcl from some overlay in Czech republic I believe),
43 > and it still runs, can you please tell me what needs to be done for
44 > the gcl to be unmasked?
45
46 You need to put "dev-lisp/gcl" in /etc/portage/package.unmask and also
47 "dev-lisp/maxima -gcl" in /etc/portage/package.use.mask to undo my recent masks.
48
49 > Please also let me know if I should post a bug on bugs.gentoo.org or
50 > e-mail someone else - or maybe if I should rather try to resolve some
51 > gcl bugs:)
52
53 Well, as I explained gcl upstream could really use your help. I am happy to keep
54 experimental gcl ebuilds in the lisp overlay.
55
56 > Thanks for doing a good work,
57 > -Bohumir
58 > (an advocate of the "gcl" flag for "maxima")
59
60 Thanks for speaking up. It is always good to hear from users.
61
62 Marijn
63
64 [1]:http://archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-lisp/msg_3fcd4ca83da1ccb418f7e72c7d754009.xml
65
66 - --
67 If you cannot read my mind, then listen to what I say.
68
69 Marijn Schouten (hkBst), Gentoo Lisp project, Gentoo ML
70 <http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/lisp/>, #gentoo-{lisp,ml} on FreeNode
71 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
72 Version: GnuPG v2.0.11 (GNU/Linux)
73 Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org
74
75 iEYEARECAAYFAkp+tVcACgkQp/VmCx0OL2y+HwCfQPdc9kFjdJJU8MtiniHmUTX4
76 CFAAoKOp7rsaASKgIaVm8Hcz+0xDfkno
77 =yv6O
78 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Replies

Subject Author
Re: [gentoo-lisp] Re: gcl and maxima James Cloos <cloos@×××××××.com>