Re: A free copy of Maple or a frre maple webservre

2 wrote:
"Dave" <foo@xxxxxxx> wrote

I think comparing to Sage would be reasonable verification.

Certainly, what you say is correct, but to what extent has Sage penetrated the marketplace compared to Maple or Mathematica (or muMath which I also learned, or its successor Derive)?

It's hard to see how you can use the word 'marketplace' when Sage is free.

I've no idea of the relative number of users of Sage vs Maple or Mathematica. I suspect estimates of usage of Mathematica must be very very rough estimates, as so many colleges have site licenses. In those cases, the number of users is a small fraction of the number licensed to use it. And its hard to see how Wolfram can know how many actually use a product.

I may have been done a disservice. I expended consider effort in mastering Maple. I paid tuition. I was taught by the creators (of Maple). Yet Maple is a commercial product that I cannot afford because of my lifestyle. Nor do I have an entitlement. I am tapped out when it comes to learning new stuff. And I cannot learn unless I have faith of efficacy. Hence, it is simpler for me to steal a copy of Maple than it is to learn Sage or any other CAS that is free or relatively cheap.


The fact companies such as Google and Microsoft are supporting Sage suggests to me that you should give it serious consideration. One assumes those companies have faith in the software.

The fact you can't afford Maple, and there is a free alternative, would suggest to me you have better reasons than most for trying it. Sage is based on Python, which is in itself a language well worth learning.

I've not used it myself, and I will not until there is a port to Solaris, but I am trying to help the Solaris port.


I have no criticism to offer regarding Sage. Commercial success is a struggle, as is scholarship. I wish Sage the best of luck in the marketplace.


.

Relevant Pages

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