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Re: Mathematica 7.0.1.0 and some General Comments

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg97324] Re: Mathematica 7.0.1.0 and some General Comments
  • From: mike.honeychurch at gmail.com
  • Date: Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:21:21 -0500 (EST)
  • References: <goqphr$lt2$1@smc.vnet.net> <gp5fou$9nr$1@smc.vnet.net>

On Mar 10, 5:35 am, Sebastian Meznaric <mezna... at gmail.com> wrote:
> I don't think Mathematica should replace mathematics. It is an
> important tool, but very importantly, a commercial closed-source tool.
> It costs a great deal of money and you do not know what it is doing
> (although most of the time it gives correct results). Only systems
> that can be considered to generally replace Mathematics have got to be
> open source (although I admit I do not use any). If at least the basis
> of Mathematica was made open-source with paid-for support from Wolfram
> that would make things a lot better. As it stands, we should not chain
> people to commercial software.

Other than people who use pencils and paper, or blackboards and
chalk*, everyone is "chained" to commercial products in their
workplaces. We need to "free" our minds a bit from the idea that
software should somehow be an exception to everything else that occurs
in our workplaces. Or alternatively perhaps someone can explain to me
why software should be any different to scientific equipment, cars,
dishwashers... I cannot use an open source mass spectrometer, drive an
open source car [although GM and Ford are verging on open source :),
or at least maybe publicly owned soon] etc.

Mike

*these are also commercial products of course


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