webMathematica: New Product Brings Computation to the Web

Accessing the capabilities of Mathematica over the web offers an array of possibilities, enabling users to:

• Build custom web sites that provide specialized calculations
• Compute, visualize, and analyze data using a web browser
• Deliver sophisticated courseware and publish interactive books
• Provide active functionality for technical documentation that can be instantly updated from a centralized location

Using webMathematica, companies can rapidly create customized applications in Mathematica and deploy them over the web. "webMathematica changes the paradigm for delivering technical computations," says Lars Hohmuth, Manager of Strategic Marketing for Wolfram Research. "Developers can implement technical web applications using standard HTML tools and a working knowledge of Mathematica. Employees and customers can take full advantage of Mathematica's computational abilities without being familiar with Mathematica itself. This leads to reduced training time, IT costs, and administrative overhead."

webMathematica will also have a large impact on the academic and educational communities. "Mathematica is already the tool of choice at hundreds of schools and universities worldwide. Now, for the first time, they can create web-based interactive distance education courses and supplemental class materials that take advantage of Mathematica's functionality, providing a richer learning experience," adds Hohmuth.

There has been unprecedented interest in webMathematica during the testing phase, resulting in several new partnerships for Wolfram Research. Select banks, engineering firms, and other institutions are already using webMathematica. According to one early adopter, "webMathematica allows the effortless implementation of features such as 3D graphs, animation, and complex engineering simulations over the web." See http://library.wolfram.com/explorations for examples of possible webMathematica applications.

webMathematica is built on Java servlets, making it compatible with any web server, servlet engine, or application server that supports the Servlet 2.0 API (or higher). This feature gives developers a broad choice of platforms and web solutions to work from. "Our adoption of modern web standards as the basis for webMathematica makes its integration into existing web infrastructures virtually seamless, not to mention future-proof," states Tom Wickham-Jones, Director of Kernel Development at Wolfram Research and chief developer of webMathematica. "If you want to put interactive computations and visualizations on your web site, there's no question that webMathematica is the easiest way to do it."

webMathematica will be available this spring, initially for Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000, Intel-based Linux, and Solaris platforms. It will be available in two license configurations: webMathematica Professional, intended for development and deployment of sophisticated intranet and internet sites, and webMathematica Amateur, designed for those who wish to showcase their work over the web. Visit our product pages for more information on webMathematica.