experix laboratory control system Files

Download new experix:  experix_r6_dist.tgz2  experix_r6_book.tgz2
Use previous version of helpers:  experix_r4_helpers.tgz2
New-- the FIDA application:  fida_r6.tgz2     (see fida_r6.txt)

Follow instructions in install_r6, but note this concerning svgaserv:

There is an alternative to SVGAlib.  This exerpt from the new version of
the "install" chapter in the book is a summary.
1a) alternative svgaserv (the frame buffer version)
    See the instructions in dist/source/svgalib/frbflib.c
    No need to chown it root or chmod it +s, and the un-modified gpm works
    with it.  It takes less time and is much more reliable in vc switches.
    But it can only run properly in the current frame buffer mode, and we
    don't know how to change that except by re-boot.
Compiler switches:
-DDEBUG makes a file ./sslog showing all fifo data received (except binary)
and whether the command was done or rejected.  And it runs really slow.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
files changed since experix_release_r5:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
source/amoeba.c
source/amoeba.h
source/array.c
source/array2.c
source/errors.c              suppress error 10
source/functions.h
source/math.c
source/try1.c                made it print out path to logfile on exit
source/structs.h             comment only
source/updown.c              bugfix in 'time; add FPU exception warning
source/svgalib/svgafunc.c    change "info" to "fb_info"
source/svgalib/svgaserv.c    update the fb_infotable
source/svgalib/frbflib.c     DISABLE_TEXT_TTY compiler switch; fix race
help/keywords.doc
help/abin.hlp
help/amoeba.hlp
help/ss.arblocks.hlp
help/fourier.hlp
help/gsmin.hlp               new
help/histogram.hlp
help/interp.hlp              discussion of function inversion
help/fpu_etrack.hlp
help/in.experix.hlp
xpx/bm.xpx                   new
xpx/calculus.xpx                                                                   see "fix this"
xpx/funcshell.xpx            new
xpx/graftrix.xpx             corrected help line numbers
xpx/mathtrix.xpx
xpx/ideas.xpx                added g2dmap
book/amoeba
book/install
book/debugging               note about using gdb and experix in same terminal
book/specialfunctions

------------------------------------------------------------------------
changes since experix_release_r5:
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------ experix policy changes ------------------------

We were always getting an OS error report for errno=10 (no child process)
after spawning commands.  Compiling errors.c with -DSUPPRESS_ERROR_10
suppresses this.  Affected files:  source/errors.c  book/install

svgaserv (with frbflib) can be built with -DDISABLE_TEXT_TTY to do the
KDSETMODE KD_GRAPHICS ioctl on the TTY, disabling text output in graphics
mode.  But then gpm must be modified in order to drop selections on the
experix command line.

-------------------------- experix api changes -------------------------
The amxb->scratch array has been increased to 12 members.  This affects
c-code which submits functions for amoeba minimization.

The gsmin args array has been increased to 8 members.

A gsmin command has been added; see gsmin.hlp.  It provides the capability
to optimize a function of one variable by golden section search.

All array operators (begin with '[' or ']') must be followed by whitespace
or command end.  The error return code for violation of this or wrong
characters in the operator is -CS_UMOC.

Added the matrix multiplication operator ]m  and square matrix inverse
operator ]i  and array/string data reversal operator ]o
Affected files:  array.c array2.c ss.arblocks.hlp in.experix.hlp keywords.doc

Add /j option to abin:  changes { a b c .. } to { a a+b a+b+c .. }
Affected files:  array2.c functions.h abin.hlp keywords.doc

The interp commmand has been completely re-worked, using 3rd order polynomial
fits.  Some restrictions have been removed.  Stack format has been changed.
Affected files:  math.c array2.c functions.h interp.hlp keywords.doc
calculus.xpx mathtrix.xpx book/specialfunctions

The histo command has been fixed to remove ambiguity in antihistograms:
previously  "#0 n ]= 0 histo" and "#0 n ]= 0 1 [= 0 histo" (arbitrary n)
both produced [0].  Now the first one makes [-1].  And to support that
fix the return type has been changed from unsigned to signed.
Affected files:  source/math.c  help/histogram.hlp

The amoeba/g and amoeba/l commands have been extended to allow logarithmic
increment of the parameter(s), by giving negative numbers for the points/
columns and/or rows.  Affected files:  source/amoeba.c help/amoeba.hlp
book/amoeba

------------------------------ bug fixes -------------------------------

Somehow a namechange didn't get propagated into source/svgalib/svgafunc.c
Fixed by changing all "info" to "fb_info"

Option checking for the 'time' command got messed up.  /D and a few other
things did not work.  Affected file:  source/updown.c

Changed the amoeba/r method so that it selects a random line through the
initial point, performs a golden section search along that line to get a new
initial point, and repeats until exit condition is reached.
Created the amoeba/a method, which does golden section search along gradient
and repeats that to reach minimum.
Affected files:  source/amoeba.c source/amoeba.h help/amoeba.hlp
source/functions.h  book/amoeba

There was apparently a race condition in frbflib, causing a segfault.  This
happened a few times over many months of use.  We think that when the vt-
switch signal handler deleted the local copy screen, if it did this during
a plotting operation, that could have caused the problem.  Now the signal
handlers only set flags, and the screen copying and deletion is done in a
function that is called by the frbflib user.  Study the readfifo function
and the main command loop in svgaserv.c to see how that is used.
Affected files:  source/svgalib/svgaserv.c source/svgalib/frbflib.c

Fixed a memory leak in array.c which only happened in case of too many
characters (syntax error) in an array creation operator

---------------------------- non-api changes ---------------------------

On exit, the path to log file is printed.  Affected file:  try1.c

On exit, these FPU exception bits are checked and a warning is printed and
logged if any of them are set:  IE SF ZE  Affected files:
source/errors.c  source/updown.c  help/fpu_etrack.hlp

Changed the npts arg. to the gral_.. functions and the abin function from
__u32 to __s32; added code all these to implement the abin/j command

--------------------------- auxiliary changes --------------------------

The g2dmap two-dimensional function mapping command has been added in
ideas.xpx

new file bm.xpx is for creation and analysis of color bitmaps representing
2-D value tables

new file funcshell.xpx is for mapping value contours of multi-parameter
functions

------------------ things I can't figure out how to fix ----------------
Some computers will beep and others will not or will do it sometimes.  I have
commented out the relevant code in source/svgalib/svgaserv.c (look for BEEP).