Thank you for these links. In fact I was unaware of these trends, but they are not unexpected for me.

Alejandro

I have read in the OLPC site, Software_components.htm:

Linux Kernel: Linux 2.6.22; Fedora 7 base environment.

With Fedora 4 Maple has worked fine for me after solving an issue with Selinux. 

On the other  hand, Maplesoft officially supports  Redhat  Enterprise. I wonder to what extent this is an advantage for Fedora.

Can you go and purchase one of these OLPC machines?

may be useful, if you mean a rational function of two variables, like:

with(plots):
f:=(4*x^2*y-3*x*y^2+2)/(x*y-5);
densityplot(f,x=-5..5,y=-5..5,axes=boxed);
densityplot(1/f,x=-5..5,y=-5..5,axes=boxed);

may be useful, if you mean a rational function of two variables, like:

with(plots):
f:=(4*x^2*y-3*x*y^2+2)/(x*y-5);
densityplot(f,x=-5..5,y=-5..5,axes=boxed);
densityplot(1/f,x=-5..5,y=-5..5,axes=boxed);

that produce the required plot are quite simple. Made by hand:

with(plots):
with(plottools):
q1:=polygon([[3., 2.], [3., 3.], [-3., 3.], [.5, -.5]],color=red):
q2:=polygon([[-3., 0.], [0., 0.], [0.,-3.], [-3., -3.]],color=blue):
q3:=polygon([[-3., -3.], [-3., 3.], [3., 3.], [3., -3.], [-3., -3.]],color=grey):
display(q1,q2,q3,view=[-3..3,-3..3]);

What is required is a "better" 'inequal' that translates the inequalities and the plot boundaries into these lists of points. Apparently, it should not be difficult to do, at least for simple cases like this one.

that produce the required plot are quite simple. Made by hand:

with(plots):
with(plottools):
q1:=polygon([[3., 2.], [3., 3.], [-3., 3.], [.5, -.5]],color=red):
q2:=polygon([[-3., 0.], [0., 0.], [0.,-3.], [-3., -3.]],color=blue):
q3:=polygon([[-3., -3.], [-3., 3.], [3., 3.], [3., -3.], [-3., -3.]],color=grey):
display(q1,q2,q3,view=[-3..3,-3..3]);

What is required is a "better" 'inequal' that translates the inequalities and the plot boundaries into these lists of points. Apparently, it should not be difficult to do, at least for simple cases like this one.

in Maple 10.06 is different:

convert(Ei(1,z),Sum); 

infinity
 -----     (_k1)             (-1 + _k1)
  \      (D     )(GAMMA)(1) z
   )     ------------------------------
  /                   _k1!
 -----
_k1 = 0

But I wonder how all this information can be organized in clear way within the "limited" framework of a MaplePrimes blog. Eg, tables are needed, and apparently  html tables are not available. Would be ascii tables enough, within the space available in the central column?

What I wonder is why

convert(Ei(1,z),Sum);

does not convert to a formal power series, as stated in ?convert,sum and something like this form is needed to get it:

convert(Ei(1,z), Sum, include = powers,dummy=n);

                 /infinity                 \
                 | -----        n  (n + 1) |
                 |  \       (-1)  z        |
-gamma - ln(z) + |   )     ----------------|
                 |  /      (n + 1)! (n + 1)|
                 | -----                   |
                 \ n = 0                   /

is that provided by the executable cwmaple.exe under Windows (and Maple 11, among other versions).
Standard GUI is that provided by the executable maplew.exe.

is that provided by the executable cwmaple.exe under Windows (and Maple 11, among other versions).
Standard GUI is that provided by the executable maplew.exe.

See this also:

is(s>0);
                                 true

PD: Jacques posted while I was editing.

See this also:

is(s>0);
                                 true

PD: Jacques posted while I was editing.

I have run your calculations in Classic GUI. It takes less than (real) 2s, and "kernel" time 0s (that is really very small). This is with Maple 11.02, Win XP, Pentium 3GHz (a bit slower than yours, presumably). Find attached the classic worksheet, where I have edited your code a little bit.

I would never use the Standard GUI for  calculations like this one

Download 143_classic.mws
View file details.

I have run your calculations in Classic GUI. It takes less than (real) 2s, and "kernel" time 0s (that is really very small). This is with Maple 11.02, Win XP, Pentium 3GHz (a bit slower than yours, presumably). Find attached the classic worksheet, where I have edited your code a little bit.

I would never use the Standard GUI for  calculations like this one

Download 143_classic.mws
View file details.