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Forscape – A Language and Editor for Scientific Computation

(github.com)
105 points faresahmed | 4 comments | 15 Oct 24 10:14 UTC | HN request time: 0.63s | source
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wiz21c ◴[16 Oct 24 08:35 UTC] No.41856874[source]▶
Why a new language ? Honest question ? Couldn't it be done on top of say, Julia ? The typography thing is really cool, but having to code in yet another MatLab-clone is a bit annoying (or maybe I'm missing the point)
replies(1): >>41859557 #
1. cryptonector ◴[16 Oct 24 14:38 UTC] No.41859557[source]▶
If you have a very complex equation then it will be a lot easier to read it and think about it if it's typeset correctly than if it's written in monospaced ASCII in Julia/Python/Java/C++/Rust/Haskell/Whatever.

So then you have two options:

  - compile the typeset equation to code

  - hand-code the equation
Forscape is a third option, perhaps more akin to a Jupyter-style notebook, where you write equations and text but you can "run" those equations. Literate programming isn't quite this, not unless you automatically get codegen from your equations.
replies(2): >>41866945 #>>41869067 #
2. narcraft ◴[17 Oct 24 06:26 UTC] No.41866945[source]▶
Here's a matrix-focused DSL that compiles to LaTeX, MATLAB, Python/NumPy or C++/Eigen:

https://iheartla.github.io/

Not exactly wysiwyg typeset coding, but a close concept, compiling relatively more legible equations to code

3. wiz21c ◴[17 Oct 24 12:36 UTC] No.41869067[source]▶
I get that, sure. But the language forscape proposes will soon need to be a general one if one wants to do big projects with it.

(And I'd love to rewrite my simulation code with something like forscape, because then the math code would appear as such and not as a mubojumbo of numpy operations)...

replies(1): >>41870439 #
4. cryptonector ◴[17 Oct 24 15:15 UTC] No.41870439[source]▶
Yes. I've a feeling that something like Forscape + something like Jupyter, and maybe something like LyX, might make the right combo.