Re: annoying documentation in 6 (rant)
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg78990] Re: [mg78940] annoying documentation in 6 (rant)
- From: János <janos.lobb at yale.edu>
- Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 02:49:44 -0400 (EDT)
- References: <200707131004.GAA11697@smc.vnet.net>
> > By far the largest release since Version 1.0 in 1988, Version > 6.0 adds > a remarkable breadth of new functionality. As well as introducing > several major new fundamental concepts, it adds nearly a > thousand new > functions, and significantly enhances a large fraction of all > existing > Mathematica functions. Here are two newbie observations: 1. Looks to me that Mathematica moves in opposite direction to mathematics. When I was in high school, both my math teachers emphasized that lots of work went into to give mathematics a solid base, and for example in Geometry folks spent about 2000 years just to verify that one basic stone of the foundation was not needed to the standing of the whole building. I guess it would be terrible for mathematics to add nearly a thousand new axioms every 100 years. 2. My 10 year old wants to learn "programming" and because he still was not fazed when I told him that his iMac already contained Java, C, Objective C, C++, python, awk, gawk,... he insisted that I replace Mathematica 4 on his machine with Mathematica 6 Student edition. After about 20 minutes I finished the installation he comes and asking what "Integrate" is doing. He was going over the "introduction to Mathematica 6" or something similar and the second or third example was Integrate right there. I am wondering if that is the right steps to be taken for Students to "fall in love" with Mathematica 6. I myself when I see an Integrate anywhere near to me I duck for cover :) J=E1nos ----------------------------------------- A newbie is a newbie is a newbie (even if he has Wikipedia to help him). - Andrzej Kozlowski
- References:
- annoying documentation in 6 (rant)
- From: Murray Eisenberg <murray@math.umass.edu>
- annoying documentation in 6 (rant)