News from TMP - 7 November 1994 ------------------------------- Dear All, Here are some items of news for the OCTOBER period. This mailing list has been compiled from people making direct enquiries to TMP, and from email addresses left in the FTP logfile; if you don't wish to receive any further mailings, please let me know [p.kent@ic.ac.uk]. Previous newletters are stored on our server in directory project/Docs/newsletters. MATERIALS UPGRADE: I am pleased to announce that our server now contains upgraded materials. There are minor improvements here and there, a *new* module "Vectors 2" and our interactive exercises in Notebooks can now be used on Mac, Windows and XWindows with some custom-programed dialog boxes. The necessary executable programs are included in the packaged archives for each platform and also separately (see below). DIALOG BOXES: Our custom dialog boxes (created using MathLink) for use with our interactive exercises are now ready, and are available from our file server in directory project/DialogBox. The Mac box was created using THINK C version 6; the Windows box Microsoft Visual C++ v1.0; the XWindows box uses the Athena widget set in X11R5. I intend to provide executable binary files for all the standard Unix/X machines - currently there is only one for SG Irix. For now you will have to try compiling it on other machines - if you do that and it works can you please let me have a copy of the binary file. If you wish to use the dialog boxes with old TMP materials you will need to replace the old Question.m and StartLog.m files with new ones from directory project/Unpackaged/packages. MATHREADER FOR MACINTOSH PROBLEM: I recently discovered that MathReader version 2.2 for Macintosh (which I installed on the server in August) does not print our Study Guides correctly. I have therefore re-installed version 2.1 which does print alright, but has fewer viewing functions than v2.2. If anyone *has* printed using v2.2 successfully - please let me know. NEW FTP SERVER FOR TRANSMATH AT LEEDS: Transmath is the sister project of TMP at Imperial, based at the University of Leeds. It is developing mathematics courseware based on Toolbook (hypertext) documents for Microsoft Windows, using Mathematica as an intelligent support engine for mathematical activities. Transmath is now running an ftp server and mailing list. You are invited to join the mailing list by sending the message add transmath to listserv@amsta.leeds.ac.uk (ip address 129.11.36.1). Also, feel free to download the Transmath modules by anonymous ftp at caliban.leeds.ac.uk (ip address 129.11.36.19). These modules run under Windows VGA and require Mathematica V2.2.2 or better. Any queries should be directed to transmath@amsta.leeds.ac.uk. TMP AT THE MATHEMATICS ARCHIVES: For what it's worth, here are some statistics for downloads from TMP's ftp mirror site at the Mathematics Archives, University of Tennessee at Knoxville (USA): * July: 285 files totalling 133 MegaBytes; * August: 467 files, 111 MB; * September: 192 files, 25 MB. Anyone who finds this sort of thing interesting is also welcome to browse our World-Wide-Web usage statistics, access to be found at the bottom of our home page (URL http://othello.ma.ic.ac.uk/usage/). These electronic newsletters now reach 93 subscribers. FEEDBACK: We appreciate very much all comments and suggestions about our materials, be they good or bad, superficial or profound. If you do download and look at our stuff, please spend a few minutes collecting your thoughts, pressing computer keys, and sending the result to us (tranmath-proj@ic.ac.uk). As a short-term project looking to renew its funding next year, we need to know if we have any "customers" out there. OUR ADDRESSES ------------- Phillip Kent, Phil Ramsden and John Wood, Transitional Mathematics Project, Mathematics Department, Imperial College, London SW7 2BZ. Tel: +44 (0)71 594 8503, Fax: +44 (0)71 594 8517. E-mail: tranmath-proj@ic.ac.uk . Gopher and FTP to: othello.ma.ic.ac.uk (155.198.192.26). World-Wide-Web at URL http://othello.ma.ic.ac.uk . Please send *technical* questions about WWW/gopher/ftp and the TMP software direct to p.kent@ic.ac.uk .