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Wolfram Research Unveils CalculationCenter

The New Midmarket Calculation Solution

March 6, 2001--Wolfram Research, Inc. today unveiled CalculationCenterTM, its new midmarket technical calculation software. Combining algebraic operations with numerics, graphics, and a technical word processor, CalculationCenter provides an affordable, easy-to-use environment for engineers, scientists, and business analysts to do their everyday work and puts an end to the compromise between quality and simplicity. An innovative point-and-click interface concept, smart plotting, and unique InstantCalculatorsTM combine to make it as easy as hand calculation and spreadsheet methods, but with much broader functionality.

CalculationCenter draws on the proven, state-of-the-art technology used in developing Mathematica®, Wolfram Research's world-leading technical software. That means it's designed for long-term usability, with tested accuracy and reliability and inherent compatibility with the notebook document format already in use by nearly two million Mathematica users. "CalculationCenter offers the world-renowned quality of Mathematica, but for the less technically demanding or more occasional user," says Conrad Wolfram, Director of Strategic Development at Wolfram Research and one of the creators of CalculationCenter.

Key to CalculationCenter's appeal is its ability to get users calculating quickly--without even looking at a manual. "One of our goals was for the average user to be up and running--doing real calculations--in as little as 10 minutes," adds Wolfram. Several unique features make this possible:

  • InstantCalculators guide users through every step of their calculations in plain English and remain in the document for repeated use and future reference.
  • Smart plotting selects not only the range of a plot but also the plot type. Works whether input is data or functions.
  • Traditional math input automatically interprets standard mathematical notation, using heuristics to resolve ambiguous input.
  • Input correction automatically suggests which function a user meant to enter if CalculationCenter cannot match the input.

CalculationCenter has been designed to include the everyday capabilities that engineers, scientists, and analysts need, with an emphasis on practical calculations. "Nowadays, 'quality' software has to anticipate users' time constraints as well as their computing needs," states Jon McLoone of Wolfram Research, CalculationCenter's key developer. "CalculationCenter has a great feature-set. But for practical calculations, a great interface to those features is more important. By putting our effort into intuitive interface design, we've taken the effort out of technical computing for our users."

Containing hundreds of functions--many working with symbolic as well as numeric input and all with InstantCalculator support--CalculationCenter is the only tool needed to easily produce superior-quality technical reports that can be distributed via hard copy, email, or the web. Also ideal for organizations, CalculationCenter enables users of varying needs to share compatible documents and maintain the notebook document presentation style consistent with other Wolfram Research products.

CalculationCenter is available for Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000 and Mac OS platforms. The introductory price is US $295 (excluding applicable taxes and shipping), making it highly competitive with other calculating solutions. More information about CalculationCenter is available on our web site.