... The history of MuPAD
MuPAD stands for
Multi
Processing
Algebra
Data tool and is the computer algebra system (CAS)
developed at the Institut für Automatisierung und Instrumentelle
Mathematik (AUTOMATH) at the University of Paderborn.
MuPAD is a general purpose CAS with hypertext online help and a powerful
graphic tool. Often when people hear about it for the first time they
ask us ...
We think MuPAD is not yet another CAS because it has some special
features that may (by now) not be found in other systems:
- Parallelism
- MuPAD is designed as a parallel CA system. The reason for this
is the requirement of a system that operates efficiently on very
large data. The aim of development is to implement not only a
multi-processor version but also a distributed system for
heterogeneous computer networks, according to the typical hardware
equipment of a university [Naundorf].
- Domains
- Domains are the key to object oriented programming in MuPAD. It is
a feature of the kernel and allows users to defined their own data
types [Naundorf-2].
Based on domains, MuPAD provides a library package to simplify the
construction of new algebraic structures
[Gottheil],
[Gottheil-2].
- Modules
- Dynamic modules are special kind of library packages, implemented
in the programming language C and dynamically (un)linked during
runtime. Users are able to program their own modules while using
all features of the MuPAD kernel and the underlying operating
system [Sorgatz].
- Debugging
- MuPAD contains a source-level debugger for debugging MuPAD programs
by executing them line by line. Those who implement large projects
know that this is an essential development tool, even - or especially
- in the computer algebra [Kluge].
- Profiler
- The profiler can be used to make runtime analysis of algorithms.
This gives informations about the frequency and duration of function
calls and helps to optimize MuPAD programs.
- Free of charge
- MuPAD is free of charge for the research community and non-commercial
users and it is available on several
ftp sites. We want MuPAD
users to obtain a license in
order to have an overview on "who uses MuPAD" and
"what are their interests" and we hope you will support
us in this way.
- Sep. 1989
- The development of MuPAD starts with the master thesis of Karsten
Morisse and Oliver Kluge. The prototype is called mupas
and has only a few arithmetic functions that operate on simple
expressions of numbers and variables. Parallelism is tested on
base of the Cosmic Environment Software from CalTech.
- Summer 1990
- The MuPAD programming language is designed and implemented in a
master thesis of Andreas Kemper. It offers Pascal like control
structures and data structures as lists, sets, arrays, and so
on. Although it looks like an imperative programming language
it is functional, a feature that is often used for efficient
implementations and code generation.
- Winter 1990
- The decision is made not to implement a new arithmetic package
but to use the well tested package PARI. It is started to
adapt PARI to the requirements of MuPAD.
- End of 1990
- The new name MuPAD (Multi Processing
Algebra Data tool) is designed. The
suffix 'PAD' of MuPAD is also chosen according to its birthplace
Paderborn.
- Summer 1991
- The memory management of MuPAD is totally redesigned in a master
thesis of Holger Naundorf. It is called MAMMUT and offers
the programming model of a shared-memory machine. It is the basis
for parallelism in MuPAD.
- Sep. 1991
- The mathPAD journal contains a first article about MuPAD and gives
a brief description of its design.
[MuPAD].
- Nov. 1991
- The internal release MuPAD 0.4 is fixed. It bases on mupas
and integrates the new MuPAD programming language.
- Jan. 1992
- The internal release MuPAD 0.99 is fixed. This is the first release
that integrates the new memory management MAMMUT.
- Spring 1992
- The MuPAD 2D/3D graphic tool VCAM is developed and
implemented by Gudrun Oevel and Thorsten Schulze
[Schulze]. It bases on the graphic tool
3D-draw written by Walter Oevel.
- 10. Jul. 1992
- MuPAD is presented to a greater audience and also to the press for
the first time. Release 1.0 is prepared for distribution.
- 18. Aug. 1992
- MuPAD release 1.0 is available on our ftp server
ftp.uni-paderborn.de:/pub/MuPAD. Only Sun workstations (Sun3
and Sun4) running SunOS
4.x with Xview/X11 are supported. A prerelease for Apple Macintosh
exists.
- 06. Oct. 1992
- MuPAD wins the "Deutsch-Österreichische Hochschul-Software
Preis", awarded by the
Akademische Software Kooperation (ASK) in Karlsruhe.
- 15. Dec 1992
- After MuPAD has been available of our ftp server, it was tested by
many critical users. Thanks to them, some bugs were found and it is
decided to give out a bugs-fixed version of MuPAD, the minor release
1.0.1.
- Mar. 1993
- MuPAD meets the international computer fair CeBIT (in Hannover,
Germany) for the first time. The prototype of MuPAD 1.1 is presented
with great success.
- May 1993:
- Because of the overwhelming success of the public domain Unix system
Linux, MuPAD is ported
to this platform (kernel 0.99.pl14) by Ralf Hillebrand.
- 27. May. 1993
- MuPAD 1.1 is available on our ftp server. With this release Linux on
PC/AT systems and also AIX
3.1.x on IBM/RS6000 are supported.
- 08. Feb. 1994
- MuPAD is ported to IRIX
4.0.5 on a SGI Indigo. These binaries are also running on
IRIX 5.x systems.
The distribution of MuPAD has just passed the number of 300
licenses on more than 1500 hosts.
- Mar. 1994
- On the CeBIT the new MuPAD release 1.2 is presented. New features:
domains for object oriented, user-defined data types and polymorphic
algorithms; polynomials as an intrinsic type of the kernel; improved
graphic tool; a more user friendly source-level debugger; and many
more functions [Morisse].
- 14. Mar. 1994
- MuPAD release 1.2 - including the SGI binaries - is available on our
ftp server. Because most Linux users have monitors smaller than 17",
we provide an optionally online manual formated according to a
screen with a resolution of 600 pixel (height).
- Apr. 1994
- MuPAD will be ported to Ultrix
4.2 (DECstation) by Konrad Hinsen at RWTH Aachen.
- May. 1994
- The MuPAD WWW service starts at:
http://math-www.uni-paderborn.de/~cube/
- In 1994
- The Apple Macintosh
version of MuPAD is totally redesigned in a master thesis of
Gerald Siek. According to the name Xmupad - used for
the MuPAD frontend on Unix systems - the name MacMuPAD
is designed.
- Aug. 1994
- The concept of dynamic modules is developed and implemented in a
master thesis of Andreas Sorgatz. This is the basis for further
developments of MuPAD user programming interfaces and a MuPAD
compiler.
- Sep. 1994
- MuPAD release 1.2.1 - including the binaries for DECstation and Apple
Macintosh - is available on our ftp server. New features are:
linear algebra package (Frank Postel), number theory package
(Dr. F. Schwarz), domains package to simplify the construction of
algebraic structures, integration package, dynamic modules, and
much more [Kluge-2].
- 01. Oct. 1994
- MuPAD is ported to
NetBSD/
FreeBSD 1.1.5.1
(also running on FreeBSD 2.0) by Marc van Kempen from Eindhoven
(The Netherlands) and is now available (release 1.2.1) on our ftp
server.
- Oct. 1994
- Paul Zimmermann from INRIA starts with MuPAD library
development. He improves the integration package (master thesis
of Ralf Kraume) and implements packages for series, limits
(later improved by Frank Postel) definite and indefinite
summation, continued fractions, and more ...
- 18. Oct. 1994
- The cooperation agreement between the Ukrainian Academy of Science
(Donetsk-Kiev) and MuPAD is signed to
"... enhance development, research and use of computer
algebra and other modern information technology, based on
Mathematical and Engineering expert systems, in Ukraine ...".
For that,
"The MuPAD group by this cooperation agreement will
make available for nearly 90 000 Ukrainian scientists, schools
(more than 2 000 000 students of which nearly 1 000 000 are
attending high school) and industry a development which represents
a considerable investment ...".
- Nov. 1994
- MuPAD is awarded the "european academic software awards"
in the category of mathematical software.
- Jan. 1995
- MuPAD is ported to HP-UX
(HP workstations) and beta testing starts. The first
official mirror site of MuPAD is in France (europe):
ftp.inria.fr:/lang/MuPAD/
- Feb. 1995
- Because of the large expansion of MuPAD, some bugs sneaked in.
We decided not to call them features but to give out a bugs-fixed
version, the minor release 1.2.1a.
- Mar. 1995
- MuPAD goes Windows.
On the CeBIT an alpha release of MuPAD for MS-Windows 3.1
(WinMuPAD) is presented, but it is still a long way
to the finish. Also a prototype of MuPAD 1.2.2 is presented.
New features: series, limits, continued fraction arithmetic,
definite and indefinite summation, solving diophantine and
polynomial equations, Bessel functions, Groebner basis, ...
- May. 1995
- Now official MuPAD
mirror sites are
available in the USA.
- Aug. 1995 ?
- MuPAD 1.2.2
Refer to News & Infos for latest
informations on MuPAD development.
- [MuPAD]
- Prof. Dr. B. Fuchssteiner et al.,
MuPAD,
mathPAD, Vol. 1, HEFT 3, September 1991, S. 19-20,
Universität Paderborn;
available via www/ftp.
- [Gottheil]
- Klaus Gottheil,
Axioms, Categories and Domains,
mathPAD, Vol 4, No 1, March 1994, S. 24--29,
University of Paderborn, ISSN 0941-9187;
available via www/ftp.
- [Gottheil-2]
- Klaus Gottheil,
The Constructors of the domains Package,
available via www/ftp.
- [Kluge]
- Oliver Kluge,
Debugging in MuPAD,
mathPAD, Vol.3, HEFT 1, März 1993, S. 19--24,
Universität Paderborn, ISSN 0941-9187;
available via www/ftp.
- [Kluge-2]
- Oliver Kluge,
New Features in MuPAD 1.2.1,
mathPAD, Vol 4, No 2, Dezember 1994, S. 38--39,
Universität Paderborn, ISSN 0941-9187;
available via www/ftp.
- [Morisse]
- Karsten Morisse,
What's new in MuPAD 1.2,
mathPAD, Vol 4, No 1, March 1994, S. 4,
University of Paderborn, ISSN 0941-9187;
available via www/ftp.
- [Naundorf]
- Holger Naundorf,
Ziele der Parallelität in MuPAD,
mathPAD, Vol.3, HEFT 1, März 1993, S. 42-43,
Universität Paderborn, ISSN 0941-9187;
available via www/ftp.
- [Naundorf-2]
- Holger Naundorf,
Domains and Domains in abelian Groups,
mathPAD, Vol 4, No 1, March 1994, S. 20--22, S. 23,
University of Paderborn, ISSN 0941-9187;
available via www/ftp.
- [Schulze]
- Thorsten Schulze,
MuPAD Graphik,
mathPAD, Vol.3, HEFT 1, März 1993, S. 12--18,
Universität Paderborn, ISSN 0941-9187;
available via www/ftp.
- [Sorgatz]
- Andreas Sorgatz,
MuPAD- Dynamische Module,
MuPAD kernel paper,
available via www/ftp.
Author: MuPAD-Webmaster
Last updated: 30. May. 1995