Add experimental gap3_jm package

[stumpc5]

We have been trying to have an optional GAP3 package for a while now. Instead of the official GAP3, we instead use a forked package gap3_jm which has regularly been updated.

Previously, this was made a Sage package (#8906) but it contained binaries, so it was removed again (#19164).

I removed all binaries, and prepared a new tarball at ​http://downloads.findstat.org/gap3-jm5-2015-02-01.tar.gz .

CC: @saliola @tscrim @sagetrac-jmichel @simon-king-jena

Component: packages: experimental

Keywords: gap3, experimental package

Author: Christian Stump

Branch: a0d0e18

Reviewer: Jeroen Demeyer, Dima Pasechnik

Issue created by migration from https://trac.sagemath.org/ticket/20107

[stumpc5]

comment:1

How do I actually find all binaries? Such as

gap3_test$ grep -r -m 1 "^"  . | grep "^Binary file"
Binary file ./pkg/monoid/doc/manual.dvi matches
Binary file ./pkg/anusq/bin/Sq matches
Binary file ./pkg/anusq/doc/sq94.dvi matches
Binary file ./pkg/anusq/doc/sqn92.dvi matches
Binary file ./pkg/nq/bin/nq matches
Binary file ./pkg/cryst/doc/paper.dvi matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/m11.2 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/Mat9 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/a2 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/a1 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/Mat256 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/Perm2 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/Mat25 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/Mat125 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/ac.2 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/Mat67 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/Perm1 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/Mat5 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/C0.2 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/C0.1 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/Mat2 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/ac.1 matches
Binary file ./pkg/meataxe/tests/m11.1 matches
Binary file ./pkg/sisyphos/bin/sis-i586-unknown-linux matches
Binary file ./pkg/sisyphos/doc/sisman.0.8.3.dvi matches
Binary file ./pkg/ve/examples/meout.pb matches
Binary file ./pkg/ve/bin/qme matches
Binary file ./pkg/ve/bin/me matches
Binary file ./pkg/ve/docs/nme.dvi matches
Binary file ./pkg/arep/bin/leonin matches
Binary file ./pkg/arep/bin/desauto matches
Binary file ./pkg/arep/bin/leonout matches
Binary file ./pkg/arep/src/leon/doc/manual.dvi matches
Binary file ./manual.pdf matches
Binary file ./bin/gapdjg.exe matches
Binary file ./bin/gap.mac matches
Binary file ./bin/gap.x86linux64 matches
Binary file ./bin/gapcyg.exe matches
Binary file ./bin/gap.macx86 matches
Binary file ./bin/gap.x86linux matches
Binary file ./bin/gapdjg.pif matches
Binary file ./bin/cygwin1.dll matches

Are any of these okay to keep, such as the dvi files?

[jdemeyer]

Replying to @stumpc5:

• Download GAP3 from https://webusers.imj-prg.fr/~jean.michel/gap3/

I think this is the problem: it doesn't seem to be the "official" GAP3 package, just some random repackaging of GAP3.

[stumpc5]

comment:3

Replying to @jdemeyer:

I think this is the problem: it doesn't seem to be the "official" GAP3 package, just some random repackaging of GAP3.

The development of GAP3 has stopped a long time ago. But there are several GAP3 packages that have never been ported to GAP4, and which are still developed.

From that webpage:

To help people who are just interested in GAP3 because they need a package
which has not been ported to GAP4, I have prepared an easy-to install
minimal GAP3 distribution containing an up-to-date versions of the packages.

So this is the only place where we can find up-to-date versions of the GAP3 package chevie to work with unitary reflection groups and their representation theory.

I fail to see what might be wrong with adding support for those packages using that "random repackaging" since I and several others need them.

I install the packages myself and then use them from within Sage, but since several things inside Sage are about to depend on that package - see #11187, #11010, #10819 - I think it is worth providing the option for others to automatically install that version of GAP3 with the newest chevie package.

[jdemeyer]

comment:4

Replying to @stumpc5:

Replying to @jdemeyer:

I think this is the problem: it doesn't seem to be the "official" GAP3 package, just some random repackaging of GAP3.

The development of GAP3 has stopped a long time ago. But there are several GAP3 packages that have never been ported to GAP4, and which are still developed.

From that webpage:

To help people who are just interested in GAP3 because they need a package
which has not been ported to GAP4, I have prepared an easy-to install
minimal GAP3 distribution containing an up-to-date versions of the packages.

All the above doesn't explain why you use the repackaged version and not the official GAP 3 release from http://www.gap-system.org/Gap3/Download3/download.html

So this is the only place where we can find up-to-date versions of the GAP3 package chevie to work with unitary reflection groups and their representation theory.

No, the official gap3r4p4 release also contains chevie.

I fail to see what might be wrong with adding support for those packages using that "random repackaging" since I and several others need them.

Because the repackaging seems to made in a messy way, see #19164.

[jdemeyer]

comment:5

Frank Lübeck's page How to get CHEVIE also says to download the official GAP3 release and doesn't talk about the "repackaged" version.

[stumpc5]

comment:6

Replying to @jdemeyer:

Frank Lübeck's page How to get CHEVIE also says to download the official GAP3 release and doesn't talk about the "repackaged" version.

Neither this nor the above is up-to-date. Afaik, Jean Michel is the only person still actively developing chevie and his website is the only place where these new versions can be found. E.g., I found a small bug in chevie last month (so years after the release of gap3r4p4) through my Sage usage -- Jean fixed it within a few hours and posted the new version on his website.

Using any other version of gap3 and chevie will result in running into old mistakes that will slow down my understanding of research problems I compute!

[jdemeyer]

comment:7

Jean fixed it within a few hours and posted the new version on his website.

With "new version", I guess you mean a new version of the repackaged GAP3?

It should be possible to just get the up-to-date chevie sources without all the extra clutter.

[stumpc5]

comment:8

From my email discussion with Jean Michel:

>> These  days I sometimes change files in other places than Chevie, so indeed
>> each  time I change something one must take the whole distribution (however
>> I  almost  never  change  the  C  sources).

> Is the stuff that you change in other places needed for chevie to run?

Well,  yes. There were  patches to the  library loaded when loading Chevie.
Since  I maintain the whole distribution, I  decided it makes more sense to
*do*  these  patches  to  the  library  once  and  for  all (this could fix
undiscovered  bugs in other  packages). So the  correct behaviour of Chevie
depends on having my version of gap3/lib.

@jdemeyer, what do you think how to proceed from here?

[jdemeyer]

comment:9

First of all, thanks for the clarifications!

I think that somebody (either Jean Michel himself or somebody on this Sage ticket) needs to package a source-only repackaged GAP3.

Further questions to be asked to Jean Michel:

1. Could he state more clearly on his website that his version is not just a repackaged GAP3, it's really a fork of GAP3 with additional fixes which are not in GAP3 proper.

2. Can he provide a clean source-only repackaged GAP3?

3. If no to the previous question: is he willing to host such a source-only repackaged GAP3 on his website, if it is created by some Sage contributor?

[jdemeyer]

Description changed:

--- 
+++ 
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 
 We now know how to make the package work for linux, but osx seems to be a problem.
 
-* Download GAP3 from https://webusers.imj-prg.fr/~jean.michel/gap3/ (make sure with Jean Michel that this version is up-to-date)
+* Download gap3_jm from https://webusers.imj-prg.fr/~jean.michel/gap3/ (make sure with Jean Michel that this version is up-to-date)
+
 * Get rid of the binaries in
 
 ```
@@ -21,4 +22,4 @@
 pkg/ve/bin/qme
 ```
   (Jean sent me that list, needs to be checked.)
-* Write the code to compile GAP3 from source and put it into the right place.
+* Write the code to compile gap3_jm from source and put it into the right place.