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Open Source Symbolic Math Packages?

Posted by Cliff on from the here-we-go-again dept.

3Suns asks: "There are many proprietary symbolic mathematics suites available, including Mathcad, Mathematica, and Maple. Strangely, I can't find a single free software project with similar functionality. These programs are as ubiquitous in universities and engineering companies as they are expensive. Given the deep roots of open-source in higher education, what can explain the lack of free/open-source mathematics software?" We last addressed this question three years ago, but a lot can change in that time. Has it?

10 of 46 comments (clear)

  1. maxima and axiom by foog · · Score: 3, Informative

    Maxima and Axiom are the heavy hitters. Good luck getting Axiom to build.

    There are some others: I think there's one in Scheme and I think YACAS comes with a lot of Linux distributions but I've never tried it.

  2. It is *because* of the ubiquity... by Joseph+Vigneau · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The fact that most universities and engineering copmanies have these packages readily available is probably why a big reason why open source alternatives have not shown up. The people who usually write this type of software are academics- who already have access, and don't have the itch to scratch.

    1. Re:It is *because* of the ubiquity... by twistedcubic · · Score: 3, Informative


      The fact that most universities and engineering copmanies have these packages readily available is probably why a big reason why open source alternatives have not shown up.

      This comment was modded "insightful". Unfortunately it is not true. Depending on what you want to do, there are some highly specialized, hardcore symbolic programs which make Maple, Mathematica, and Mathcad seem like toys. Really, those commercial apps just give you a smorgasboard of basic functions and formulas so as to be considered useful to all. Once you start doing something more serious, you might drop them completely (unless you use their programming languages). If all you're looking for is some general purpose thingie which is a clone of the very popular commercial apps, try the options others already suggested. One I don't think has been mentioned so far is Scilab, which seems to look like Matlab, and looks pretty extensive, though I've never used it. And by the way, the reason why all the specialized programs exist is because scientists and mathematicians find commercial apps largely inadequate for their needs. What's so funny is that this largely parallels the Windows vs. Linux situation-- the commercial players make general purpose, easy-to-use programs which are very pretty and have lots of ohhhhh-ahhhhhh eye-popping features that are very useful for powerpoint presentations.

  3. Re:Please explain by DarkFencer · · Score: 3, Informative

    There is a big difference here. Operating systems are something everyone who uses computers would deal with. A great deal more people that want to program open source are going to program something for an operating system (be it the kernel, device drivers, etc.), then something for a much narrower audience.

    I'm not saying an open source Mathematica type software package wouldn't be nice, but there isn't the same drive for it as for an OS. There are already software packages that run on UNIX/Linux. They aren't freely available, but if you are in Academia, or in industry you probably have access to a package like this already.

  4. Re:Google? by mschaef · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yes, maxima...

    http://maxima.sourceforge.net/

    or giac...
    http://www-fourier.ujf-grenoble.fr/~parisse/englis h.html

    (giac, interestingly enough, runs on PDA's for a mobile solution...)

    If you haven't found open source CAS, you haven't really looked...

  5. Re:Please explain by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wow, what year is it? People still don't understand open source software?

    Well, here's how it would work. People don't write open source software for OTHER PEOPLE, they write it for themselves.

    Somebody needs symbolic math package, but doesn't want to pay for the expensive versions. Unlike yourself, he reasons that like any complex system, a symbolic math package can be broken down into simpler subsets that maybe he can write himself.

    Or maybe, he just wants to try writing it.

    Or maybe he reads your post and considers it a challenge.

    After a while, he gets it working and it solves his particular problem. Then he puts it on his web site and waits for open source magic to take over. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. But it doesn't cost him anything to try, after all, he's already solved his particular problem.

    And that boys and girls, is how open source software is born.

  6. Re:Please explain by larry+bagina · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Operating systems are also very well understood. Every CS undergraduate takes a course or 2 on operating system design and there are dozens to hundreds of books on unix/OS design and internals.

    Read OSNews of KernelTrap sometime. There are also dozens of small OSes written by individuals in their spare time.

    How many books on writing programs to deal with symbolic math have you read lately?

    --
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  7. Depends exactly what you're doing.. by kongtomorrow · · Score: 5, Informative

    For commutative algebra, for example, there's Macaulay2.

  8. Maxima by cstangle · · Score: 4, Informative

    Maxima would probably be your best bet
    It is an implementation of Macsyma written in LISP and will compile and run fairly well on almost any machine
    The syntax is easy to learn and the program is fairly powerful yet approachable
    Even if it's not exactly what you're looking for, it is an extremely valuable tool

  9. Singular by Zork+the+Almighty · · Score: 4, Informative

    Singular is really good for commutative algebra.

    --

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