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- Newsgroups: sci.math.symbolic
- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!atlantis.psu.edu!news
- From: mek@guinan.psu.edu (Mark E. Kotanchek)
- Subject: Re: Novice asks for symbolic math suggestions...
- Message-ID: <ie81H*p=_b@atlantis.psu.edu>
- Sender: news@atlantis.psu.edu (Usenet)
- Organization: Penn State Center for Academic Computing
- References: <lestrade.726863807@Ra.MsState.Edu>
- Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 20:41:16 GMT
- Lines: 41
-
- In article <lestrade.726863807@Ra.MsState.Edu> lestrade@Ra.MsState.Edu
- (John Patrick Lestrade) writes:
- > ok, assume i am computer literate and math literate and I am a late
- > comer to symbolic math packages. is there a consensus of opinion as to
- > which package i should buy: mathematica, maple, axiom (i just saw a book
- > in the bookstore for Axiom -- is it a viable contender?) and if
- > mathematica is the best, which book should I buy.
- > thanks
- > patrick
- >
- > --
- > John Patrick Lestrade
- > cnesta::lestrade Let's try again in '96!
- > lestrade@ra.msstate.edu
-
- If you opt for Mathematica, buy ALL the books as the on-line help is
- worthless--IMHO, based upon experiences with Mathematica 2.1 on my
- NeXTstation--unless you are already aware of the existence of the command.
-
- If you opt for Mathematica, the essential book is "Mathematica Quick
- Reference, Version 2" by Nancy Blachman which summarizes all of the
- commands and their options.
-
- Personal opinion is that all of them have serious flaws and ugly user
- intefaces (even if Mathematica does produce nice graphics after a bit of a
- struggle). The only one which adequately handles variables and functions
- defined on an interval is Derive and that's only available for MS-DOS.
-
- In any event, dealing with Maple (best help--at least on a Mac),
- Mathematica (best graphics), Macsyma (no experience), Axiom (only for the
- RS/6000), or Derive (only MS-DOS) is that you'll be inspired to expand
- your vocabulary in new and colorful ways.
-
- Mark.
- --
- Mark Kotanchek
- Guidance & Control Dept - 363 ASB
- Applied Research Lab/Penn State
- P.O. Box 30
- State College, PA 16804
-
-