This directory contains the distribution of jacal1a4.  Jacal is a
symbolic mathematics system which runs under Scheme language
implementations.  Scm, a P1178 and R4RS compliant Scheme
implementation is available from the same sources as jacal.

The author can be reached at jaffer@ai.mit.edu or
Aubrey Jaffer, 84 Pleasant St., Wakefield MA 01880.

			       MANIFEST

  `README' is this file.  It contains a MANIFEST, INSTALLATION
	INSTRUCTIONS, TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE, and RELEASE NOTES.
  `COPYING' details the LACK OF WARRANTY for jacal and the conditions
	for distributing jacal.
  `HELP' is online introduction to using Jacal.
  `ChangeLog' documents changes to the jacal.

  `demo' demonstrates batch file use.  "batch(demo);" to use in jacal.
  `rw.math' is a batch file of Robertson-Walker model of General
	Relativity.
  `test.math' is a batch file which tests Jacal.
  `jacal.texi' is documentation on how to use jacal in TeXinfo format.
  `DOC' has files telling about how jacal works.
	`algdenom' gives an algorithm for clearing radicals and other
		algebraic field extensions from denominators.
	`grammar' explains how to create new grammars.
	`history' gives a little history of jacal.
	`lambda' explains mid-level data formats. From a Dr. Dobbs
		article.
	`ratint.tex' article explaining jacal's eventual integration
		algorithm.

  `math.scm' is the file you load into scheme in order to run jacal.
  `scl.scm' loads code from SLIB.
  `toploads.scm' contains comments describing the rest of the files.
  `modeinit.scm' has initializations for modes in Jacal.
  `view.scm' is a program for viewing TeX expressions.

		      INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

  Scl.scm uses files from SLIB, the scheme library.  SLIB is available
  from the same sources as jacal.  See README in SLIB for how to
  install SLIB.

			    RUNNING JACAL

To use from Scheme type:
  scheme
  (slib:load "math")

			   COMPILING JACAL

There are some tests which are run at the end of loading "math".  If
these do not give any warnings then you can either try using the
system "type (math)" or compiling it.

It is very worthwhile to compile SLIB files, "types.scm" and "poly.scm".

			TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE

Not yet written.

			    RELEASE NOTES

With the standard input grammar, the precedence of "-" as a prefix
behaves strangely.  a^-b*c becomes a^(-b*c) while a^b*c is (a^b)*c.

Using @code{divide} to divide a polynomial by an integer does not work.

One cannot at the present time use @code{factor} to factor general
polynomials.  It does some but not all.@refill

The command @code{example} executes the example it gives.  This can
lead to unpredictable results if the variables and constants in the
example have already been given values by the user.@refill

The function @code{minor} should be modified to accept lists for
@var{row} and @var{col}.@refill

Resultant might be modified to compute the resultant of a system of
polynomials with respect to a list of variables.


@subsection Failures of Error Recovery

Calling poly discriminant with only 1 argument.
