Dear GAP-Forum,

Shahiem Ganief asked

We are runnig GAP3r4P2 (dos version) perfectly from a 486 computer.
However, when I call up the function 'RequirePackage("meataxe") the
following appears
Invalid switch - /000069
#I The MeatAxe share library functions are available now.
#I All files will be placed in the directory
#I 'c:\DOS/000069'
#I Use 'MeatAxe.SetDirectory( <path> )' if you want to change.

The problem is that this file does not exist. If I create this file (manually),
MeatAxe then places files in 'c:\dos/a00069'. I tried to change the path
using the function "MeatAxe.SetDirectory( ,path>)" without sucess.
Can you get me out of this hole?

It would be possible to change the interface between GAP and the 'meataxe'
package such that one could work with the package under DOS.
However, the typical use of the 'meataxe' package involves a lot of calls
to the C functions of the package.
Under DOS, this would work very slow, because for each call of an external
program from GAP the whole GAP must be swapped to disc.

So instead one should either
- use the equivalent (but slower) GAP functions for matrix calculations
(multiplication, transposing, null space computation, ...),
and use the 'smash' package for module calculations.
or
- use the standalone functions without GAP; if one wants to read results
into GAP in the end, one can use the '-G' option of the C functions to
produce GAP readable output.

Kind regards
Thomas Breuer