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Re: mathematica on a palmtop?

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg39142] Re: mathematica on a palmtop?
• From: atelesforos at hotmail.com (Orestis Vantzos)
• Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2003 04:36:53 -0500 (EST)
• References: <b15q34$f0q$1@smc.vnet.net> <b184gv$kqn$1@smc.vnet.net>
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

I think that simply porting the kernel would not be such a bad idea.
Since the palmtops have fairly complete versions of Java and J/Link
can link to that, I think that there are various interesting
possibilities.
With the kernel running as a service and using Java to create
specialised GUIs, a palmtop with a mathematica kernel could be used as
the ultimate scientific calculator!
It is obvious that you can not program Mathematica with a palmtop, but
you can prepare the Java GUI/Mathematica package at a desktop PC and then
upload it to the palmtop to get specific jobs done. I am confident
that Wolfram could easily create 'mini front-ends' for many things.
Things like the Integrator could easily fit into a palmtop. Input via
the Basic Input Palette could be easily implemented.
Orestis

Tim May <tcmay at got.net> wrote in message news:<b184gv$kqn$1 at smc.vnet.net>...
> In article <b15q34$f0q$1 at smc.vnet.net>, Daniel Reeves
> <dreeves at umich.edu> wrote:
> 
> > If I could have mathematica on a palmtop I would be a truly fulfilled 
> > human being.  <drifts into fantasy...>
> >   [setting: a cocktail party]
> >   Girl: ...so in the limit you'd find that...
> >   Me: well let's plot that [whips out palmtop with mathematica]
> >   Girl: [swoons]
> > 
> > It's clearly possible in principle since modern palmtops are more
> > powerful than desktop machines that ran mathematica just fine several
> > years ago.
> 
> 
> Yes, the CPU power is almost there, but the screen size and resolution
> simply is not. Mathematica running on my Mac 7100av in the mid-90s still had
> the full effect of a 1024 x 768 color display on a 17-inch monitor.
> Trying to do useful work on my Visor Prism or even an iPaq would be
> horrible...useful only for the type of situation you fantasize about.
> 
> Meaning, not worth the effort.
> 
> I currently have Mathematica 4.1.5 on my 5-lb TiBook. Not small enough to "whip
> out at a party to impress a chick" (yuk yuk), but perfectly fine for
> any mobile use (such as at the library, or at remote sites, or in hotel
> rooms) I can plausibly imagine.
> 
> Wasting time and money on a PDA port would be foolish for Wolfram.
> 
> --Tim May

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