[pro] lisp scientific computing libraries

[A.J. Rossini]

My N-bits on the subject (speaking as an amateur maintainer and
occassional developer of lisp-matrix, and doing a bit of non-lisp
numerics/informatics/computation professionally):


I'd probably go with GSLL if you need to "get the job done" , it has a
range of numerical domains implemented (but requires GSL,
algorithms/implementations are reasonable but not always world-class).

Matlisp works, is stable, but needs a bit of
cleanup/refinement/refactoring, and requires Lapack and a few other
Fortran libraries, and uses it's own FFI approach for Fortran.  I wish
it had a Fortran-front end for CFFI implemented.  But "it works".

linear-algebra (on github, and see recent posts) looks like a clean
package, lisp-only, and so far I like it very much, but havn't had as
much experience with it as I have with the other 3 you mention, so
havn't had time to suss-out any issues.   I don't recall if it has
quad-programming, if not you'd have to add on the quad-programming
algorithm, but that isn't too hard (i.e. following a journal article,
for an undefined "hard").

You could also go via R, through RCL (works well) or RCLG (which I
maintain), and the quad programming packages for that system.   Highly
recommend R as a non-lisp system for scientific computing.  It's only
fault is that it isn't common lisp.

Lisp-matrix is a work in progress.  As much as I'm fond of it, I have
a hard time recommending it.

best,
-tony


On Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 10:38 PM, R. Matthew Emerson <rme at clozure.com> wrote:
> What's the state of scientific computing libraries in CL?
>
> There appear to be numerous projects that address this particular area
> at different levels:
>
> * GSLL: http://common-lisp.net/project/gsll/
> * Matlisp: http://matlisp.sourceforge.net/
> * lisp-matrix: http://common-lisp.net/project/lisp-matrix/
>
> and certainly more.
>
> If anyone on the list works in this area, I'd be interested to hear
> about what libraries you are using.  If you'd care to share any pros and
> cons, that would also be appreciated.
>
> (As a bit of an aside, I will mention that one particular area of
> interest is quadratic programming.
>
> The package at http://sigpromu.org/quadprog/ package looked interesting,
> but it doesn't come with source any more, and is meant to work with
> Matlab.
>
> If by some chance someone is familiar with this area, perhaps you could
> offer some recommendations?
>
> Pretty much anything with a C header file would be pretty easy to use.)
>
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-- 
best,
-tony

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