XCAS vs Prime

[Tim Wessman]

They are very similar except for two major distinctions.

1) There is no support for exceptions in the OS used for Prime. These are used primarily for erros and thus the behaviors there are sometimes different and not perfect.
2) There are less commands in Prime and some slight syntax differences where there were conflicts (%% vs % for example)


The primary area of weakness from my point of view are:

a) The simple things (XCAS is very powerful and does have a very high *capability* level, but the simple things which aren't in Bernard's area of focus have gotten the short end of the stick)
b) Inconsistencies where commands behave differently for unexpected or no apparent reason. Often, these seem to have been introduced for "convenience" but the overall effect makes the CAS less useable and understandable.

Note that this is not a criticism of XCAS which I am just *astounded* by, but rather my personal feelings having now used it for 2+ years.