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Re: Re: Wolfram|Alpha Lookup Tool for Mathematica

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg100039] Re: [mg99986] Re: Wolfram|Alpha Lookup Tool for Mathematica
• From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
• Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 01:46:09 -0400 (EDT)
• Organization: Mathematics & Statistics, Univ. of Mass./Amherst
• References: <200905160920.FAA26822@smc.vnet.net> <200905162224.SAA16389@smc.vnet.net> <200905210405.AAA09695@smc.vnet.net>
• Reply-to: murray at math.umass.edu

FWIW, my take on this is somewhat the other way 'round -- based upon 
what Stephen Wolfram has said explicitly and upon some well-known past 
history...

Wolfram says that for many years he had the goal of a computational 
knowledge engine.  When the curated databases and related functions 
showed up in Mathematica 6 and 7, I was a puzzled as to what new market 
for Mathematica he was really aiming for. But now it's clear that a 
primary impetus for that added Mathematica functionality was to provide 
a tool for his computational knowledge engine.

Similarly, past additions to Mathematica could be explained (after the 
fact, perhaps) as tools that enabled him to better do NKS types of 
computations.

This is not to say that enhancements to Mathematica cannot also be 
accounted for as simply widening its functionality and market. Just that 
there really have been some very fundamental driving forces having to do 
with much broader goals -- not just the development of Mathematica per se.


mark mcclure wrote:
> On May 20, 4:58 am, "gigabitbuc... at BrockEng.com"
> <gigabitbuc... at BrockEng.com> wrote:
>> 1.) Presumably, at some point under some conditions, the (XML?) output
>> of Wolfram|Alpha will be made available to Import[]. Does anyone have
>> any comment, rumor, or progress to report?
> 
> I think that Wolfram|Alpha will definitely be linked tightly into Mathematica.
> I've watched a few of Stephen Wolfram's video introductions and he makes
> it clear that Mathematica will likely be the largest user of the
> forthcoming API.
> 
> Mark McClure
> 

-- 
Murray Eisenberg                     murray at math.umass.edu
Mathematics & Statistics Dept.
Lederle Graduate Research Tower      phone 413 549-1020 (H)
University of Massachusetts                413 545-2859 (W)
710 North Pleasant Street            fax   413 545-1801
Amherst, MA 01003-9305

• References:
  • Wolfram|Alpha Lookup Tool for Mathematica
    • From: David Reiss <dbreiss@gmail.com>
  • Re: Wolfram|Alpha Lookup Tool for Mathematica
    • From: Murray Eisenberg <murray@math.umass.edu>
  • Re: Wolfram|Alpha Lookup Tool for Mathematica
    • From: mark mcclure <mcmcclur@unca.edu>