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Re: Journals dying?, apparently rather slowly (was ,

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg106659] Re: Journals dying?, apparently rather slowly (was ,
• From: "Nasser M. Abbasi" <nma at 12000.org>
• Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:45:01 -0500 (EST)
• References: <27994965.1264251543203.JavaMail.root@n11> <006e01ca9c5f$6e81d8b0$4b858a10$@net> <hjh86s$r4d$1@smc.vnet.net> <hjjqf2$91h$1@smc.vnet.net> <hjmjg4$dm$1@smc.vnet.net>

"Richard Fateman" <fateman at cs.berkeley.edu> wrote in message news:hjmjg4

>
> OK, I'll go further and even say this:
>
> I would certainly shy away from a presentation that required the reader
> to own a free Mathematica player.
>
> Why?
>
> 1. Most people do not have it, while most people DO have Adobe Reader.
>

True. But this is just logistics and the case today. Adobe reader was around 
much longer than the Mathematica player. I still remember the times when I 
could not open a PDF file becuase I did not have PDF reader installed on the 
PC I was using.

> 2. Getting a copy of Mathematica Player seems to require that you supply
> WRI with your email and other information.
>

OK, This can easily be fixed. someone at WRI can remove this easily. But you 
could always write a fake email, here is one you can use right now: 
syhdydtssdkhDksjdjsdfkjsaf at yahoo.com If this is taken, try this one 
SJFkjsdalkfjdsoifjasfasdfljsefjdsfdjsafkdjsgfeajtkdsjfgklds at gmail.com
There is many places in the net that requires your email.


> 3. I suspect that downloading Mathematica Player to a computer in a
> public library would not be allowed.
>

Downloading a PDF reader is also not allowed. Installing anything to a 
public PC would not be allowed. I assume you mean by public PC as in the 
public library or in the airport.

If you meant to say that downloading the notebook itself which is read by 
the player, but this would not work because most likely the player would not 
be installed allready on that PC. This is your point (1).

If the player was installed on that public PC, then clicking on a player 
file (.nbp extension) should open it, just like clicking on a PDF file 
should cause the PDF reader on the PC to open it.

This is what WRI should do: make the player support all Mathematica 
functions, and make arrangements with PC makers to have it in each PC and 
also fill the shopping malls and the post officies with CD's that have the 
player in it (like they did with AOL many years ago). in few years, the 
Mathematica player will be just as widespreadly used as PDF reader is today, 
and it will become the main tool of exchanging scientific and mathematical 
notes between scientists, engineers and students.

--Nasser