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Re: How to write a "proper" math document

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg120030] Re: How to write a "proper" math document
• From: AES <siegman at stanford.edu>
• Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2011 05:41:10 -0400 (EDT)
• References: <201107041044.GAA02461@smc.vnet.net> <iuukk8$epi$1@smc.vnet.net>

In article <iuukk8$epi$1 at smc.vnet.net>,
 "McHale, Paul" <Paul.McHale at excelitas.com> wrote:

> Interactive documents seem to be a limited by corporate security more than 
> technology.  I.e. If Mathematica were open source/free, this would be closer 
> to a non-issue.  This is not practical. 

This the second and equally difficult problem with Mathematica.  No 
question whatsoever: Mathematica is a marvelous intellectual 
development. 

But if Mathematica had emerged from, and was continually further 
developed in, an open, academic, competitive environment, with 
publications, technical meetings, peer review, student involvement, and 
all the other advantages that this environment can provide, rather than 
a closed, quite secretive, and commercially driven enterprise, it would 
be even richer than it is today.

Ask yourselves where many of the most important software tools of today 
emerged from? (and whether they are free and open tools, or closed and 
excessively expensive tools?)  Just to cite two of these:

*  Unix:  The essentially open world of the original Bell Labs.

*  TeX and LaTeX:  Donald Knuth and his academic students and disciples.

And then all the immense swarm of freeware, shareware, and low-cost 
software tools that we all enjoy today.

• References:
  • Re: How to write a "proper" math document
    • From: dr DanW <dmaxwarren@gmail.com>