Introduction

Nelson is a powerful, open-source numerical computational language, developed to provide a comprehensive and intuitive environment for engineers, scientists, and students. With over 1,200 built-in functions, Nelson supports a wide range of tasks, from basic algebra to advanced numerical simulations.

Originally inspired by languages like MATLAB© and GNU Octave, Nelson offers users a lightweight yet feature-rich experience. It is designed to be easy to learn and use, with an emphasis on performance and flexibility.

Features

Data Types Managed by Nelson

Double and Complex Double: Supports scalars, vectors, 2D matrices, N-dimensional arrays, and sparse matrices.
Single and Complex Single: Includes scalars, vectors, 2D matrices, N-dimensional arrays, and sparse matrices.
Logical: Handles scalars, vectors, 2D matrices, N-dimensional arrays, and sparse matrices.
Character Arrays: Supports UNICODE characters.
String Arrays: Fully supports UNICODE.
Integers: 8, 16, 32, and 64-bit signed and unsigned scalars, vectors, 2D matrices, and N-dimensional arrays.
Handle Objects: For object-oriented functionality.
Anonymous Functions: Allows creation and manipulation of functions without names.
Data Structures: Supports dictionaries and tables.
Overloading: All types can be overloaded for custom behavior.

Performance Enhancements

OpenMP and SIMD: Utilizes parallel processing and vectorization for faster computations.

Visualization & Interface

2D and 3D Plotting: High-level commands for visualizations.
User Interface Controls: Built-in controls for creating custom interfaces.
Desktop Environment: Comes with history tracking, a file explorer, and workspace browser.

Advanced Modules

Parallel Computing: Enables efficient use of multi-core processors.
Fast Fourier Transform (FFT): High-performance FFT functions based on FFTW and MKL.
SLICOT Interface: Optional support for the Systems and Control Theory subroutine library.
Control System Module: Tools for control theory and system design.
MPI (Message Passing Interface): Functions for distributed parallel computing.

Data Formats & Interfacing

JSON Support: Read and write JSON files.
HDF5 Functions: High-level I/O functions, with HDF5 as the default file format for .nh5 workspaces.
MAT-File Compatibility: Load and save workspaces in MAT-file format.
Foreign Function Interface (FFI): Build and load C/Fortran code on the fly.
MEX C API Compatibility: Interfacing with MEX-compatible C APIs.
Nelson Engine API: Use Nelson as a backend engine within C code, compatible with the MEX Engine API.
Julia Interfacing: Call Julia scripts and functions from Nelson.
Python Interfacing: Call Python scripts and functions from Nelson.
RESTful API: Enables Nelson to interact with web services.

Additional Capabilities

Inter-Process Communication: Communicate between Nelson processes.
QML Engine: Use Qt’s QML framework to display and manipulate graphical content.
Component Object Model (COM): Interface with COM components, especially on Windows.
Excel File Support: Write and read .xlsx files using COM on Windows.
Embedded Code Editor: Integrated editor for Nelson scripts.

Help & Testing Tools

Help Engine: Generate and view help files in various formats like HTML, Markdown, PDF, or GitBook.
Test Engine: Validate algorithms using built-in functions, with support for xUnit report export.

Profiling & Code Coverage

Profiler: Built-in profiler to analyze and optimize code performance.
Code Coverage: Measure the coverage of your tests to ensure thorough validation.

Cloud & Extensibility

Nelson Cloud: Instant access to Nelson from any web browser via Nelson Cloud.
Module Skeleton: Templates for extending Nelson:
- Template with Macros and Builtins.
- Basic Macros Template.
Nelson Modules Manager (nmm): A package manager to install and manage extensions for Nelson.

Changelogs

License

Nelson license