3 ms·

Mathics: A free, open-source alternative to Mathematica

49 points by fanf2 2y ago

abdullahkhalids 2y ago
> mathicsscript features: terminal interaction using either prompt_toolkit or GNU Readline > syntax highlighting using pygments > This is a browser-based webserver with MathML-formatted output and Three.js graphics. > extensive online documentation and interactive documentation via Ajax > integrated graphics and MathML mathematics output via MathJax and Three.js Is this an art piece for software engineers or a tool for mathematicians to use? That said, glad this exists. Mathematica syntax is excellent and the reason for its continued use. I see from the docs that some of the basic libraries, the other power of Mathematica, are implemented. But a lot more are needed for a usable system.
- rcarmo 2y ago
  I wouldn't be that critical. As a long-time but now somewhat infrequent Mathematica user (from the times it ran on the NeXT) I'm happy to see alternatives, even if they didn't benefit from Wolfram's almost maniacal drive for feature coverage.
dang 2y ago
Related. Others? Mathics 7.0 – Open-source alternative to Mathematica - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42349375 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42349375 - Dec 2024 (58 comments) Mathics: A free, open-source alternative to Mathematica - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33477793 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33477793 - Nov 2022 (203 comments) Mathics – A free, light-weight alternative to Mathematica - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19851934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19851934 - May 2019 (83 comments) Mathics: A free, light-weight alternative to Mathematica - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11459186 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11459186 - April 2016 (73 comments) Mathics - A free, light-weight alternative to Mathematica - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5196551 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5196551 - Feb 2013 (86 comments) Mathics - A free, light-weight alternative to Mathematica with support for Sage - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4066826 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4066826 - June 2012 (57 comments)
analog31 2y ago
Is it reasonable to guess that this is a wrapper around SymPy and related Python libraries? If so, it might be a nice thing, even if it doesn't replace the entire corpus of Mathematica, to the satisfaction of mathematicians. Specialized, domain specific software, still tends to be a tempting but elusive target for the open source movement. I'm an industrial physicist. I used Reduce in grad school, and Mathematica in the 90s. Since then I've also used MuPad, WxMaxima, and SymPy. Today, in terms of functionality, SymPy is sufficient for my needs. It lets me "code" derivations that I used to do by hand, directly in the same programs where I use the derived formulas. This makes the whole shebang more self-documenting and reproducible, even if the math I'm doing isn't super sophisticated. But compared to Mathematica (perhaps biased by past experience), I still find SymPy to be awkward for use as a math notebook. For this reason, I'm willing to explore a tool like this. Though I don't know the cost of Mathematica to schools, a free alternative might have an educational use. A friend of mine was a high school math teacher, and used Mathematica in the classroom. But the cost of maintaining a license was an ongoing issue.
- cap11235 2y ago
  It is specific to your lab that symbolic anything works. My ion trapping lab would just go "yeah, great. Keep it there for a couple years". Unfun, serious experiments have their own joy, but I'm not expecting great things in the next decade. I just want to be able to breathe on my own.
sergius 2y ago
Interestingly this is better in terms of precision but as an interface for math is still behind good old paper and pencil. The interface is still 30+ years old...

49 points by fanf2 2y ago

> mathicsscript features: terminal interaction using either prompt_toolkit or GNU Readline > syntax highlighting using pygments > This is a browser-based webserver with MathML-formatted output and Three.js graphics. > extensive online documentation and interactive documentation via Ajax > integrated graphics and MathML mathematics output via MathJax and Three.js Is this an art piece for software engineers or a tool for mathematicians to use? That said, glad this exists. Mathematica syntax is excellent and the reason for its continued use. I see from the docs that some of the basic libraries, the other power of Mathematica, are implemented. But a lot more are needed for a usable system.

rcarmo 2y ago
I wouldn't be that critical. As a long-time but now somewhat infrequent Mathematica user (from the times it ran on the NeXT) I'm happy to see alternatives, even if they didn't benefit from Wolfram's almost maniacal drive for feature coverage.

dang 2y ago

Related. Others? Mathics 7.0 – Open-source alternative to Mathematica - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42349375 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42349375 - Dec 2024 (58 comments) Mathics: A free, open-source alternative to Mathematica - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33477793 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33477793 - Nov 2022 (203 comments) Mathics – A free, light-weight alternative to Mathematica - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19851934 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19851934 - May 2019 (83 comments) Mathics: A free, light-weight alternative to Mathematica - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11459186 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11459186 - April 2016 (73 comments) Mathics - A free, light-weight alternative to Mathematica - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5196551 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5196551 - Feb 2013 (86 comments) Mathics - A free, light-weight alternative to Mathematica with support for Sage - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4066826 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4066826 - June 2012 (57 comments)

analog31 2y ago

Is it reasonable to guess that this is a wrapper around SymPy and related Python libraries? If so, it might be a nice thing, even if it doesn't replace the entire corpus of Mathematica, to the satisfaction of mathematicians. Specialized, domain specific software, still tends to be a tempting but elusive target for the open source movement. I'm an industrial physicist. I used Reduce in grad school, and Mathematica in the 90s. Since then I've also used MuPad, WxMaxima, and SymPy. Today, in terms of functionality, SymPy is sufficient for my needs. It lets me "code" derivations that I used to do by hand, directly in the same programs where I use the derived formulas. This makes the whole shebang more self-documenting and reproducible, even if the math I'm doing isn't super sophisticated. But compared to Mathematica (perhaps biased by past experience), I still find SymPy to be awkward for use as a math notebook. For this reason, I'm willing to explore a tool like this. Though I don't know the cost of Mathematica to schools, a free alternative might have an educational use. A friend of mine was a high school math teacher, and used Mathematica in the classroom. But the cost of maintaining a license was an ongoing issue.

cap11235 2y ago
It is specific to your lab that symbolic anything works. My ion trapping lab would just go "yeah, great. Keep it there for a couple years". Unfun, serious experiments have their own joy, but I'm not expecting great things in the next decade. I just want to be able to breathe on my own.

sergius 2y ago

Interestingly this is better in terms of precision but as an interface for math is still behind good old paper and pencil. The interface is still 30+ years old...