4 ms·

I looked all over their website, but could’t find a link to download the source for the Wolfram Language so I can compile it. Do you have a link?

the-dude 5y ago
Aren't you already perfectly aware this is not open source? From your profile I must assume you are.
- leephillips 5y ago
  Why do you say that?
  - the-dude 5y ago
    Because apparently you are writing a book about Julia. I assume people who write books about a language which are also in vogue in the scientific community, they are aware of the eco-system of said community. Mathematica is not exactly a new kid on the block. Why don't you answer the question?
    - leephillips 5y ago
      The answer is that I did not know, and that’s why I asked. Mathematica is not a big part of the scientific research world as far as I’m aware. I don’t know anyone who uses it in physics research, for example. The last time I played around with Mathematica was in graduate school before Linux existed, when closed source and proprietary solutions were the norm. Back then I don‘t think there was anything like the Wolfram Language independent of the Mathematica product. So when I heard that this language now existed, I wondered if it was open and, therefore, something that might be interesting to use in research. From your tone I suspect that you won’t believe any of this. I’ll leave it up to your fevered imagination to divine how much I care about that.
      - carry_bit 5y ago
        The "Wolfram Language" name is essentially just a rebranding of Mathematica to highlight the fact that it does way more than just math now.
trymas 5y ago
Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but Wolfram products are proprietary (read - you need to buy the license or subscribe to it), just like MATLAB.
- leephillips 5y ago
  If it’s not open source then it’s a non-starter, it doesn’t matter how cool it is. This is not an ideological free software stance, it’s a recognition that science has embraced the utility of open source tools and rejected black boxes. It’s essential for reproducibility and transparency in research. It’s no longer enough to provide your code in a paper supplement or on GitHub; the entire chain must be available for inspection, including the language itself. EDIT: One common exception to this principle is the use of proprietary C or Fortran compilers for high performance.
  - kzrdude 5y ago
    They tried to get it out for freeon the raspi but I guess the uptake was really quite low. Either way the program for that has basically ended. https://www.wolfram.com/raspberry-pi/ https://www.wolfram.com/raspberry-pi/
    - leephillips 5y ago
      I don’t see any source there. Was is open source or just beer-free?
      - Smaug123 5y ago
        It is not and has never been open-source. In fact they wrote https://blog.wolfram.com/2019/04/02/why-wolfram-tech-isnt-open-source-a-dozen-reasons/ https://blog.wolfram.com/2019/04/02/why-wolfram-tech-isnt-op... .
        agentdrek 5y ago
        I'm aghast at this point: https://blog.wolfram.com/2019/04/02/why-wolfram-tech-isnt-open-source-a-dozen-reasons/#nine-open-source-doesnt-bring-major-tech-innovation-to-market https://blog.wolfram.com/2019/04/02/why-wolfram-tech-isnt-op... The blog post was probably literally written in and hosted entirely on open source software which were highly innovative at their earlier stages and continue to be highly innovative. This is a very self-serving presentation of an idea. Also, I officially dislike the word innovation.

the-dude 5y ago

Aren't you already perfectly aware this is not open source? From your profile I must assume you are.

leephillips 5y ago
Why do you say that?
- the-dude 5y ago
  Because apparently you are writing a book about Julia. I assume people who write books about a language which are also in vogue in the scientific community, they are aware of the eco-system of said community. Mathematica is not exactly a new kid on the block. Why don't you answer the question?
  - leephillips 5y ago
    The answer is that I did not know, and that’s why I asked. Mathematica is not a big part of the scientific research world as far as I’m aware. I don’t know anyone who uses it in physics research, for example. The last time I played around with Mathematica was in graduate school before Linux existed, when closed source and proprietary solutions were the norm. Back then I don‘t think there was anything like the Wolfram Language independent of the Mathematica product. So when I heard that this language now existed, I wondered if it was open and, therefore, something that might be interesting to use in research. From your tone I suspect that you won’t believe any of this. I’ll leave it up to your fevered imagination to divine how much I care about that.
    - carry_bit 5y ago
      The "Wolfram Language" name is essentially just a rebranding of Mathematica to highlight the fact that it does way more than just math now.

trymas 5y ago

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but Wolfram products are proprietary (read - you need to buy the license or subscribe to it), just like MATLAB.

leephillips 5y ago
If it’s not open source then it’s a non-starter, it doesn’t matter how cool it is. This is not an ideological free software stance, it’s a recognition that science has embraced the utility of open source tools and rejected black boxes. It’s essential for reproducibility and transparency in research. It’s no longer enough to provide your code in a paper supplement or on GitHub; the entire chain must be available for inspection, including the language itself. EDIT: One common exception to this principle is the use of proprietary C or Fortran compilers for high performance.
- kzrdude 5y ago
  They tried to get it out for freeon the raspi but I guess the uptake was really quite low. Either way the program for that has basically ended. https://www.wolfram.com/raspberry-pi/ https://www.wolfram.com/raspberry-pi/
  - leephillips 5y ago
    I don’t see any source there. Was is open source or just beer-free?
    - Smaug123 5y ago
      It is not and has never been open-source. In fact they wrote https://blog.wolfram.com/2019/04/02/why-wolfram-tech-isnt-open-source-a-dozen-reasons/ https://blog.wolfram.com/2019/04/02/why-wolfram-tech-isnt-op... .
      - agentdrek 5y ago
        I'm aghast at this point: https://blog.wolfram.com/2019/04/02/why-wolfram-tech-isnt-open-source-a-dozen-reasons/#nine-open-source-doesnt-bring-major-tech-innovation-to-market https://blog.wolfram.com/2019/04/02/why-wolfram-tech-isnt-op... The blog post was probably literally written in and hosted entirely on open source software which were highly innovative at their earlier stages and continue to be highly innovative. This is a very self-serving presentation of an idea. Also, I officially dislike the word innovation.