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Re: mathematica on a palmtop?

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg39092] Re: mathematica on a palmtop?
  • From: Tim May <tcmay at got.net>
  • Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 03:36:01 -0500 (EST)
  • References: <b15q34$f0q$1@smc.vnet.net>
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

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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