The latest version of webMathematica brings you new web capabilities, simplified installation, easier integration into standard server applications, and further enhancements to the web's leading enterprise calculation engine.
Support for Mathematica 5.2
webMathematica comes with Mathematica 5.2. This version takes advantage of the latest web-development options and performance improvements in Mathematica 5.2, including support for 64-bit-enhanced arbitrary-precision numerics, multithreading support for numerical linear algebra, major vectorization speed-ups, and RSS and vCard import, as well as enhanced charts and visualizations.
Database Connectivity
DatabaseLink provides Mathematica with a powerful, ready-made solution for integrating with any standard database. Integrated with Mathematica 5.2, it provides a convenient bridge between databases and webMathematica. One particularly useful feature for webMathematica is that DatabaseLink contains the HSQL Database Engine (HSQLDB), a lightweight database. This means that users who do not already have a database or who want to experiment with using one do not have to set one up; instead, they can use HSQLDB.
Client Web Services
The Web Services Package allows Mathematica to call web services across the internet. Bundled with Mathematica 5.2, it provides a convenient way for webMathematica to use any web service. This is an important way to extend the functionality of webMathematica websites.
Authoring System Preview
webMathematica Author is an authoring system shipped with webMathematica that aids in the creation and development of webMathematica material.
Simple Installation
webMathematica has a simple installation process that requires minimal configuration beyond the installation of the webMathematica web application.
Extended Documentation and Examples
The documentation for webMathematica is now shipped in HTML, PDF, and notebook formats and is accessible from the webMathematica front page. Many examples have been added to demonstrate new features.
New Templating Mechanism Based on JSP Custom Tags
HTML templating can now be done with JSP (JavaServer Pages) custom tags. This mechanism is easy to understand, allows the use of other JSP custom tag libraries, and facilitates the integration of webMathematica into other server applications.
MathML, SVG, and XML Support
Support for MathML and SVG is built into webMathematica, allowing you to describe equations and graphics in standard XML formats that can be read by browsers.
Support for Catching Message and Print Output
New functions are provided for catching the output of any Mathematica Message or Print statements. This feature can be useful for debugging or developing material.
Support for HTTP File Upload
New functions are provided to support HTTP file upload, allowing users to submit data to a webMathematica web server.
Support for HTTP Session Variables
New functions are provided for saving material in an HTTP session stored in the server. This feature can be useful for saving results from one computation to another.
HTML Formatting Functions
New functions are provided for formatting results such as tables into HTML.
The three most immediate technical advantages for your organisation as a whole are:
Computational Ability
webMathematica provides a large library of Mathematica commands for web development. This allows you to build technical computing web services, including numerical, symbolic, and graphical applications that solve your daily technical computing problems quickly and easily. Also, Mathematica can import and export over 40 data, sound, and image formats, enabling users to process data online.
Server-Based Computation
There is no software to buy, install, or maintain in order to use webMathematica sites. All that end users need is a web browser and, for some more-advanced features such as interactive 3D graphics, a Java runtime environment. This leads to significant savings over buying and maintaining user software and also makes sure that every end user always has the most recent version. An additional advantage is that websites enhanced by webMathematica can be accessed from any computer or web-enabled device in your organization.
Ease of Use
All that is needed to take advantage of webMathematica-enhanced sites is a web browser. All user interface elements are standard web GUI elements such as text fields, check boxes, and drop-down lists. This enables you to cut training time because your employees no longer have to learn different software applications. In many cases, no Mathematica experience is required.