Re: Fwd: pari-2.5.0 (STABLE) released !

[Karim Belabas <Karim.Belabas@math.u-bordeaux1.fr>]

* Charles Greathouse [2011-06-23 05:05]:
> Karim, I have access to a Windows Vista system (though I do all my
> PARI development on Linux).  I think I would like to work on this
> problem -- if nothing else, it's hard to make use the latest features
> if I can't reliably share them.
> 
> At one point I discussed this with Bill Allombert, but I don't
> remember getting anywhere.  Is there by chance a description of the
> problems you or others have found when trying to do this?

Here's what I'm doing: I have a full fresh Cygwin install 
(incl. readline + gmp + an independently installed fltk library, which I
had to compile myself) on a Windows 7 box. I also have installed NSIS,
to build the installer:

  http://nsis.sourceforge.net/
  
Using standard svn HEAD sources (r13371) + 

  http://pari.math.u-bordeaux1.fr/pub/pari/packages/galdata.tgz

*) ./Configure --graphic=fltk --builddir --datadir=@ && make bench
  [ no failures except gp-sta:program, where we get the expected failure
  for install(); gp-dyn is flawless ]

  Everything works properly within a Cygwin shell (running bash/zsh) or
  the Terminator terminal emulator (running bash/zsh). Including
  readline, hi-res graphics, and "??/???" extended help.

  I use "default(colors, boldfg)" in the Cygwin shell, and it looks good.

*) open an Explorer window in $TOP/config, right-click on "pari"
   (= pari.nsi), choose "Build NSIS Installer" in the menu.
   No errors.

*) Choose "Test Installer", agree to install, leaving default choices.
   Then double click "gp" in the Explorer window opened by the installer.

*) I put the resulting binary here :

  ftp://pari.math.u-bordeaux1.fr/pub/pari/windows/svn/Pari-svn13371.exe

Here are the problems I can see, using the default terminal, none of
which existed using my previous XP box + old Cygwin (both of which are
dead and beyond recovery):

1) readline doesn't work well: basically, cursor can't move backwards;
on deletion / backspace, even though the characters are virtually eraÑed
(and no longer part of the command line as gp will interpret it), they
remain on the screen.

This is readline-6.1, I tried readline 5.0: same problem.

2) setting default(colors,boldfg) results in an extra prompt being printed

3) [minor] polgalois(x^11-2) works, but I get a verbose warning from
   Cygwin that I should use POSIX paths or set nodosfilewarning.

4) [minor] ?? extended help doesn't work (I get a message 
   "perl.exe gphelp can't be started")

5) [minor] system() doesn't work (nothing happens).

6) [minor] \o3 and prettyprinter don't work ("perl.exe tex2mail can't be
   started")

Everything else seems to work, incl. hi-res graphics.

Number 1) is really a showstopper for me. :-(  This is the one I would
like to see fixed before I can release the binary.

Also, maybe there is a decent stand-alone Terminal Emulator under Windows
under which the problem disappears ? Terminator is not a good option, it
requires Ruby and such...

Number 2) is an annoyance (I find the default white on dark background
unreadable), but I could change some Windows preferences and be able to
overcome it.

The rest is minor, it's a little sad, but I could live with it ...

Cheers,

    K.B.
--
Karim Belabas, IMB (UMR 5251)  Tel: (+33) (0)5 40 00 26 17
Universite Bordeaux 1          Fax: (+33) (0)5 40 00 69 50
351, cours de la Liberation    http://www.math.u-bordeaux1.fr/~belabas/
F-33405 Talence (France)       http://pari.math.u-bordeaux1.fr/  [PARI/GP]
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