Sage Tasks Outline

This is a general outline of targeted areas, including specific tasks, for improving the usability of Sage. The sources include the Sage Usability Improvements List and sagenb/todo.txt, but the scope here is wider. Feel free to make changes.

1. General

• Sagenb.org privacy policy.

• Y. Aner's notebook threat model (PDF).

• Keith Lang's Top 10 UI Myths.

• SageForge - semi-automated repository for contributions to Sage:

  • Scripts, worksheets, databases, and packages of [nearly] all sizes.
  • Supplementary documentation, including multimedia.
  • Optional reviews and ratings.
  • Live, ulimited cellular paste-bin.
  • RSS feeds.

2. Build / Test

• Tests:
  • Increase coverage to 100%.
  • Fix all sagenb doctests and run them from Sage library.
  • Meaningful statistics / benchmarks, e.g., %timeit for individual doctests.
• Build logs:
  • Separate file for each spkg for parallel builds.
  • Group by install, upgrade, or spkg install event.
  • Remotely aggregate and display refreshed statistics.
• Porting:
  • andLinux Sage.
  • Windows.
  • Windows build farm.
  • Sagelite for Windows.
  • Binary distributions that don't use SSE3, etc.
• Automated notebook benchmarking and testing:

  • Functional tests: Selenium, Windmill.

  • Load tests: FunkLoad, Pylot, Watir, Zope.testbrowser.

3. Development

• Auto-reload / auto-build changed files - attach, paster serve --reload, CherryPy's AutoReload.

• More convenient development workflow:

  • Code review tools - Rietveld.

  • Automated, continuous builds and testing for new patches.

• Static Python code analysis.

4. Documentation

• Document:

  • doc/en/sagenb for new notebook.

  • Add many more modules to the reference manual.

  • pexpect interface for users.

  • notebook port forwarding.

  • Notebook server technical overview.

  • Run notebook server as daemon.

5. Notebook: Admin

• Don't list all users' worksheets.

• Authentication - abstract interface:
  • LDAP.
  • UNIX accounts.
• Dashboard:
  • Real-time and cumulative statistics, aggregate and per user.
  • Backups: complete or selective.
  • Manage user accounts, passwords, groups, privileges.
  • Send email to all registered users.
  • Install new / updated modules and spkgs.

• Lots of options with sensible defaults:

  • Email address as username.
  • Secure tokens to reset passwords.
  • Moderated new account registration.

  • Custom analytics tags, geolocation (ClustrMaps).

6. Notebook: Introspection

• Matrix B mentioned twice in B.solve_left?: B.solve_left(B, ...).

• Better error detection, e.g., for Maxima command completion.
• Completions link for mobiles.
• Live introspection cells.
• Introspection cross-links.
• Improve introspection / completion interface: floating div, RHS div.

• New documentation browser. Send worksheet docstrings to this browser.

7. Notebook: "Modes"

• %timeit.

• %cython mode, full and outside sage.

• Slideshow mode.
• interacts:
  • Auto updates.
  • Live published or remote.
  • Control over widget layout.
  • Examples to include with Sage.

  • Free-form workspace with pipelines.

  • Display nicely formatted docstrings (or captions).

  • Simplify extension, via HTML templates or an API.

  • More widgets: vertical sliders, spreadsheets, interactive plots, etc.

• Graph editor - #1321.

• LaTeX doc mode.

• reST - markItUp with server-side Sphinx.

• Preparse in the browser: implicit multiplication, less work for server.

• Chat - qwebirc, Web IRC.

• Debugging:
  • Prettier tracebacks for %modes.

  • Python debugger a la Pylons.

• Vector graphics - #6973.

  • Draw - SVG-edit.

  • Annotate output from matplotlib's SVG backend.

• Code editor a la BeSpin.

• Browse worksheet directories like a file system.

• Math input GUI plug-ins.

8. Notebook: Under the hood

• Implement base_url.

• Deprecation message at top of old notebook .py files.

• Move is_valid_username, etc., out of twist.py. A validation module for all types of notebook form fields.

• notebook():

  • Allow default systems besides 'sage'.
  • Allow a different sage command on a remote machine.
• Manage Jmol applet count / memory use.

• Use Python's logging facility.

• Component architecture.

• Cythonize pexpect.
• Processes:
  • Balance server pool loads.
  • Run the worksheet process as another user.
  • Reference implementation:
    • Make ctrl-c quit.
    • Don't put "data" link in all output cells.
  • Don't blocking the server: uploading worksheets, making docbrowsers, etc.
  • Remote worksheet processes.

  • Use fork, named pipes, and/or memory-mapped files for worksheet processes.

• Client-server and server-server interaction:
  • TinyMCE worksheet corruption.

  • Load JS / CSS components on demand - Ajile.

  • Server-to-server backups, possibly with authentication.
• Decouple secure transport from sage/dsage. Use OpenSSL.

• Remote access Python API - Google Documents List Data API.

  • (Non-)authenticated modes.
  • Manipulate, share, up/download, publish worksheets at a given Sage(Forge) server.
• Storage:

  • Fix worksheet.autosave().

  • Always retrieve worksheet content from disk on open.
  • Use a revision control tool (e.g., Mercurial) for undo, history, snapshots, etc.

  • Deprecate the [unused] objects directory.

  • File size limit - auto-delete and warn above threshold.

  • Access a user's data directory securely via the new storage API.

  • Handle permissions better for directories, history, output, conf files, etc.
  • Filesystem or a database determines worksheet list, not an sobj.

• Migrate to server / framework: Django, Pylons, Pyjamas, Tornado, etc.:

  • Switch from twisted.web2 to twisted.web.

  • URL routes.

9. Notebook: User Interaction

• Help:
  • Reorganize help page:
    • Search for commands.
    • Linking to similar and related commands.
  • Easy set up of shipped jsMath fonts.
  • Automatic tips for keyboard shortcuts, editing features, etc. Opt out.
  • Friendly bug buddy that emails reports, bundles session history, etc.
• Customization:
  • Defaults: typeset, implicit multiplication, rename "Untitled" worksheets.
  • Custom window close callback.
  • Function to update worksheet titlebar.
  • Easy backups, selective or complete.

  • Download zip files of multiple worksheets, even if accounts=True.

• Keys
  • Restart worksheet shortcut.
  • Splash-screen with common keys.
  • Insert new cell after current cell shortcut.

  • Custom shortcuts, e.g., ctrl-bksp to delete previous word, not join cells - js-hotkeys.

• Cells:
  • Auto-updating cells, e.g., interacts.
  • Prevent text movement by a pixel on cell frame focus.
  • Always show links for long output cells, regardless of length or interruption.
  • Easily identify idle, queued, and running cells.

  • Select, delete, (un)group, move multiple cells.

  • Leading space input bug - #6729.

• 2D / 3D plots:

  • JavaScript animations.

  • Pre3d-enabled `canvas3d` viewer.

  • Mouse-over for coordinates - matplotlib.

  • Interactively zoom, pan, annotate - canvas, SVG, Flot, Open Flash Chart.

• Worksheets:
  • Export screen with checkboxes for images, data, etc.
  • Use notebook as IDE for running sage instance.
  • Optional always visible menubar at top of worksheet.
  • Make "Browse your computer" upload fields editable.
  • Fix "undefined" bug on first save in Safari 4.0.3.
  • Don't list "Sage Users" when sharing.
  • Rate worksheet title shows false error.
  • Page through worksheet list, not all at once.
  • "Save as" option, e.g., for downloading, that prompts for a name.
  • Toolbar with buttons to interrupt running code, save, attach files, etc.

  • TinyMCE synchronization problem.

• Published worksheets:
  • Delete them.
  • RSS feeds.
  • Live cells, e.g, interacts.
  • Only to selected users or groups.
  • Publishing should update "last changed" time, even for old worksheets.
• Notebook:

  • Tags.

  • Suppress browser warning for Konqueror.
  • Manage logins:

    • View recent account activity. Add last login to user.py.

    • Invalidate other sessions' cookies.
    • Unique cookies for logins from different browsers / computers.

  • Full-text search: SQLalchemy, Whoosh (codenode-devel).

• Fix MoinMoin.

• External:

  • Embed live cells / worksheets - #6855.

  • Wave gadgets and robots.

  • Live published worksheets.