Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a computer algebra system?

A computer algebra system (CAS) is a program that can manipulate mathematical expressions, potentially reducing the time it takes to perform cumbersome but trivial calculations. It does this symbolically, so a CAS can return a mathematical expression as a resulting answer.

Why cannot Yacas solve my homework/integrodifferential matrix operator constraint equations/ [insert another problem]?

Yacas is developed by a small group of volunteers and does not yet perform many of the sophisticated tasks that a modern CAS can theoretically handle. Ask the users' mailing list (see links below) if you have a specific problem that is covered in the manual and should be solvable by Yacas. Yacas consists of a small kernel and a library of interpreted scripts in the easy-to-use Yacas language; the scripts contain all CAS-related functionality. You are encouraged to contribute library code for solving a specific problem.

I want to use Yacas from inside my own application. What should I do?

Yacas can be used in several ways: The first two options allow you to use the functionality of an installed Yacas application directly from another application without having to link to any Yacas code.

For information on embedding Yacas as a library, see the embed/ subdirectory of the source tree and the manuals. Please note that Yacas is Free Software in the sense of the Free Software Foundation, distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). If you embed Yacas or link to its components and distribute the resulting application, you are required to license it under the GPL.

What platforms are supported?

Yacas is very portable and runs on many platforms and OSes, including Unix flavors (including GNU/Linux and derivatives), Mac OS X, EPOC32, Ipaq and probably other devices running embedded Linux, and 32-bit Microsoft Windows (TM). The most functional version is the GNU/Linux version (supporting e.g. an on-the-fly compilation of plugins).

Yacas gives an error message, a wrong answer, etc. What's wrong?

Most probably it is a bug in Yacas, especially if you expected a correct answer after reading the manuals. Please let us know by posting to the developer's list (see links below).

Is there a mailing list?

There is a mailing list for developers, but you can also ask questions relating to Yacas there.