GAP for OS X - The Future
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The Future


As time allows, the following features would be nice to add:
Feature Priority  Difficulty
Integrated help/online manual system, using GAP's html manuals. HighMedium
General HTML support.
     HTML output in GAP terminal window.MediumMedium
     HTML display in separate popup windows.MediumMedium
Save/open session. MediumEasy
User customization of fonts/colors. MediumMedium
     (Mathematicians with weak eyesight especially appreciate bigger fonts!)
Edit|Copy of GraphicSubgroupLattice and other GAP sheets. LowMedium
Zoom in GraphicSubgroupLattice and other GAP sheets. MediumMedHard
Include GAP core system in Gap.app for single bundle solution. MedHighMedium
     See below.
Toolbars for the main window.LowEasy
     Q: What should we put in the toolbar?
Better keyboard support. Hotkeys for GAP commands?

Blue sky
Improved command history
     Should be searchable/browsable, with a Mac-like interface.
File|Print. Note that xgap's "save as postscript" makes this less pressing.
Applescript support?
Plugin support? More flexible/easier support for GAP packages?

Further details

Help / online manual access.
GAP has a robust and full-featured help system, with search from the command line, and access to its full manuals. Currently CocoaGap displays text-based help in a GapSheet. Our goals are:
  • Present HTML help in a window via WebKit or Apple help viewer.
  • Have the Macintosh look and feel.
  • Allow searching, both from command line and GUI.
  • Support help for GAP core, as well as all packages.
Include GAP core in Gap.app.
Currently, CocoaGap requires an installed copy of the GAP core (as well as any desired packages.) Down the road, we should include a copy of GAP inside the Gap.app bundle. GAP has its own "universal binary" system, which allows us to build executables for both PPC and Intel. Apple also has a universal binary system for command-line executables. We need to test and implement one of these, and automate it for building of new versions of the GAP core.

Later, we need to decide what packages should be installed. We also might consider stripping out source files or other intermediate files to lower the download size (of course, they must be made available separately!) -- if so we need an automatic way to do this. And we still need to support an 'external' GAP installation, for purposes of high-performance computing, greatly customized packages, or other special needs.

This all-in-one Gap.app will make GAP much more accessible!

     

     

Contact email:      cocoagap (-AT-) paranoia (-DOT-) emailengine (-DOT-) org