proc(1) = f(par);
    retp(maxc(par));
endp;

proc(1) = brutemin(&f, parms);
    local f:proc;
    clearg lsize,lmult,lj,lpar1,lf,lval,lindx,lmultmin;

    lsize = 1; /* searches from parms - lsize*parms to parms + lsize*parms*/
    lshift = 1;
    /* find vector of all parameters to try */

    lmult = (lshift-lsize~lshift~lshift+lsize);
    lj = 2;
    do while lj <= rows(parms);
        lmult = (lmult[1,.].*.ones(1,3))|(ones(1,3).*.lmult);
        lj = lj+1;
    endo;
    lpar1 = parms.*lmult;    /* this is a matrix of par vectors */

    /* find f at all values of lpar1 */

    lf = zeros(cols(lpar1),1);
    lj = 1;
    do while lj <= cols(lpar1);
        lf[lj] = f(lpar1[.,lj]);
        lj = lj+1;
    endo;

    /* find minimum value and its index in f */

    lval = minc(lf);
    lindx = indexcat(lf,lval);

    /* find corresponding mult */

    lmultmin = lmult[.,lindx];

    /* update lsize.  if min is halfway, make smaller. if min is top or bottom,
       move up/down, make bigger */

    retp(lf);
endp;


call brutemin(&f,5|7);