Re: Word - Mathematica connection
- To: mathgroup at christensen.cybernetics.net
- Subject: [mg665] Re: Word - Mathematica connection
- From: tgayley (Todd Gayley)
- Date: Fri, 7 Apr 1995 23:39:31 -0500
In article <3m4qeo$e47 at news0.cybernetics.net> Richard Mercer <richard at seuss.math.wright.edu> writes: >In the latest issue of The Mathematica Journal (vol 5 no 2) there is a brief >note indicating that WRI is developing an interface between Mathematica and >Microsoft Word 6.0. The note leaves the impression that version 6.0 is required >and the interface will not work with earlier versions. > >While the possibility of using Mathematica from within a word processor is very >interesting. But why select a bloated, undesirable product like Word 6.0?! >There are many, many Word users who have decided not to "downgrade" to Word >6.0, and the prospect of paying for 6.0 PLUS the product being prepared by WRI >is not very appealing. > > >Perhaps there are technical reasons why Word 6.0 is the only possibility, but >otherwise PLEASE consider doing something compatible with Word 5.x or Word >Perfect. > >How do others feel about this? > >Richard Mercer Richard, This product requires Word's macro language, WordBasic, which debuts on the Macintosh in Word 6.0. WordBasic was present in pre-6.0 versions of Word for Windows, but it was not sufficiently powerful. We are aware of the user community's general distaste for Word 6 for Macintosh, but this product simply could not exist in any earlier version. We are assessing the prospect of doing a similar link with WordPerfect (and Ami Pro), and this may exist in the future. For now, let's face it, Word has a huge market segment, especially on Windows, and this link is a cross-platform product. Our MathLink technology makes creating these links a relatively staightforward project. It is only required that the word processor (or any application) has a sufficient macro language. The bulk of the Word link is written in WordBasic, not C. We appreciate user input on issues like this. A show of support for WordPerfect could be very influential on our development plans. Todd Gayley MathLink Applications WRI