[Scilab-users] [Scilab-Dev] algebra conventions with integer types to be discussed

[Samuel Gougeon]

Le 19/09/2018 à 15:36, antoine monmayrant a écrit :
> Another one of my favorites, that highlights the fact that scilab 
> needs a lot of polishing (in particular in the documentation & naming) 
> to help new or non-specialist users:
>
> Compare the choice of name for matlab  poylval() and scilab horner().
> How could I know that to evaluate a polynomial I should call horner()?
> If you don't know the name in advance, trying to use the help system 
> for "polynomial evaluation" or similar strings is not going to help 
> you much¹.
> As I can never remember the name of the horner() function, I always 
> end up opening the help system, browsing manually down to the 
> Polynomials page and parse the listing of the functions to find the 
> one mentioning "evaluate".
>
> Arrrrgghhhhh....

This is why uman() has a redirection list:
--> uman polyval w
brings you to the horner page
and more than 200 other redirections that could be easily included in 
help(), with a switch in the Preferences (to use the automatic 
redirection or not).

horner() is also applicable to rationals. I am happy to use -- and have 
to document and maintain -- a single same function to evaluate both 
polynomials and rationals.

So, this example shows that a generic polynomials page is missing, 
or/and that the polynomial tag could be added to the currently existing 
most appropriated page.
Anyone is welcome to write this page, or/and to indicate which existing 
one would be the best hook to polynomial features.

Samuel