[Caml-list] matlab-like environment

[Caml-list] matlab-like environment

[Chuck Anderson]

I'm new to caml, but see the ocaml environment as something I've wanted
for some time---an interpreted environment for manipulating and viewing
data interactively, and a compiled speed that is close to C.  What I'm
really after is a matlab-like environment that I can program using
ocaml.  

What is the closest set of modules out there to this?  What code is
available that I could start with?  Perhaps PsiLab?  I would like to
build GUI's and plotting functions using gtk and stick with fundamental
ocaml arrays.  Will this limit me?  Must I eventually use bigarrays?

Thanks for any suggestions.

-- 
Chuck Anderson                    associate professor
Department of Computer Science    anderson@cs.colostate.edu              
Colorado State University         http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~anderson  
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1873       office: 970-491-7491, FAX:
970-491-2466
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Re: [Caml-list] matlab-like environment

[Vitaly Lugovsky]

On Tue, 23 Jul 2002, Chuck Anderson wrote:

> I'm new to caml, but see the ocaml environment as something I've wanted
> for some time---an interpreted environment for manipulating and viewing
> data interactively, and a compiled speed that is close to C.  What I'm
> really after is a matlab-like environment that I can program using
> ocaml.  
> 
> What is the closest set of modules out there to this?  What code is
> available that I could start with?  Perhaps PsiLab?  I would like to
> build GUI's and plotting functions using gtk and stick with fundamental
> ocaml arrays.  Will this limit me?  Must I eventually use bigarrays?
> 
> Thanks for any suggestions.

 I'm currently working on a numerical (and some symbolics) computational
environment in OCaml (but not interactive, it must work with a database,
something like a distributed multidimensional spreadsheet).

 Looking at PsiLab, I had choosen the following approach:
1) bigarrays for matrices and large datasets, for multidimensional
  data - arrays or tuples of bigarrays (sic!).
2) conventional arrays for vectors
3) "compilation" of the functions (e.g. minimization function using
 $\chi^2$ for the given dataset and model) by producing a partially 
 applied functions - it seems to be very effective with ocaml.

 But my problems are somewhat specific: relatively simple mathematical
models with a large datasets (particle physics phenomenology).



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Re: [Caml-list] matlab-like environment

[Christophe TROESTLER]

On Tue, 23 Jul 2002, Chuck Anderson <anderson@cs.colostate.edu> wrote:
> 
> What is the closest set of modules out there to this?  What code is
> available that I could start with?  Perhaps PsiLab?

Have a look at http://caml.inria.fr/humps/caml.html#Mathematics 
I don't know whether the Psilab libraries are distributed separately
(and usable with Ocaml 3.05).  Also, you have to be aware that Psilab
allows some kind of polymorphism for arithmetic operations (+,-,*,/)
which may be tempting but the detection of the type of the arguments
occurs at runtime so that is not very efficient -- and errors are
therefore also given at runtime.  Also complex arithmetic
implementation has no provision against e.g. overflow in intermediate
computations.  On the other hand, Psilab comes with more numerical
libraries that exist separately for OCaml right now, so it is good if
you want to try things quickly.

> I would like to build GUI's and plotting functions using gtk

AFAIK, there is no package a la Matlab for plotting.  Maybe, it's a
good idea to make one!  I usually use a simple interface to gnuplot I
have made but, if you plan to use Gtk, see for example
http://gtkextra.sourceforge.net/ (and http://scigraphica.sourceforge.net/).  
I suppose that developing a binding for GtkExtra would not be too
difficult.

> and stick with fundamental ocaml arrays.  Will this limit me?  Must
> I eventually use bigarrays?

Well, if you want to use large matrices or external libraries
(Lacaml/Lapack, FFTW), you will need to use bigarrays.

Hope this help,
ChriS
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Re: [Caml-list] matlab-like environment

[Markus Mottl]

On Mon, 29 Jul 2002, Christophe TROESTLER wrote:
> > I would like to build GUI's and plotting functions using gtk
> 
> AFAIK, there is no package a la Matlab for plotting.  Maybe, it's a
> good idea to make one!  I usually use a simple interface to gnuplot I
> have made but, if you plan to use Gtk, see for example
> http://gtkextra.sourceforge.net/ (and http://scigraphica.sourceforge.net/).  
> I suppose that developing a binding for GtkExtra would not be too
> difficult.

Olivier Andrieu has already interfaced the libplot-library (the standard
GNU-library for heavy duty plotting), including support for displaying
drawings in Gtk windows:

  http://ocamlplot.sourceforge.net

I haven't tried it yet, but last time I checked it was fairly complete.
Seems exactly like what you were looking for...

Regards,
Markus Mottl

-- 
Markus Mottl                                             markus@oefai.at
Austrian Research Institute
for Artificial Intelligence                  http://www.oefai.at/~markus
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Re: [Caml-list] matlab-like environment

[Olivier Andrieu]

 Markus Mottl [Monday 29 July 2002] :
 >
 > On Mon, 29 Jul 2002, Christophe TROESTLER wrote:
 > > > I would like to build GUI's and plotting functions using gtk
 > > 
 > > AFAIK, there is no package a la Matlab for plotting.  Maybe, it's
 > > a good idea to make one!  I usually use a simple interface to
 > > gnuplot I have made but, if you plan to use Gtk, see for example
 > > http://gtkextra.sourceforge.net/ (and
 > > http://scigraphica.sourceforge.net/).  I suppose that developing
 > > a binding for GtkExtra would not be too difficult.
 > 
 > Olivier Andrieu has already interfaced the libplot-library (the standard
 > GNU-library for heavy duty plotting), including support for displaying
 > drawings in Gtk windows:
 > 
 >   http://ocamlplot.sourceforge.net

Right, but mind that libplot is a low-level library : it provides
primitives for drawing lines and circles, etc. but nothing for drawing
a scatterplot in two lines of code !

-- 
   Olivier
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