June 24, 2002–With today’s release of Mathematica 4.2, Wolfram Research, Inc. introduces the first technical computing system with full XML support and seamless Java integration. Now users can access any Java program from within Mathematica and work directly with XML data and documents. Version 4.2 also brings important advancements in linear programming, statistics, optimization, combinatorics, graph theory, and technical publishing.
Key new features in Mathematica 4.2 include the following:
- Transparent Java integration with J/Link 2.0 and built-in Java Runtime Engine
- XML extensions that allow Mathematica notebooks and expressions to be stored as XML
- New bundled XML tools package for symbolic XML manipulation
- Support for XHTML export including style sheets
- Extended MathML 2.0 support
- Improved linear programming and optimization
- Statistics enhancements including new ANOVA package
- New bundled Combinatorica package for combinatorics and graph theory
- New bundled AuthorTools package for technical publishing
- Slide show environment for presentations
- New import and export formats including FITS and SDTS
“The built-in Java Runtime Environment and J/Link 2.0 give developers an easy way to mix Mathematica and Java code right out of the box,” says Lars Hohmuth, Product Manager for Mathematica. “Whether they want to build graphical user interfaces to Mathematica using AWT and Swing graphical user interface components or connect to their enterprise database using JDBC, they can now use Java with the same ease as the built-in Mathematica programming language.”
Version 4.2 also marks the beginning of the XML era at Wolfram Research by offering support for import, export, and symbolic manipulation of XML documents and data. In conjunction with a major focus on technical publishing in this version, Mathematica now includes XML extensions that let users save notebooks and Mathematica expressions as XML constructs and adds support for XHTML and MathML 2.0, the emerging standard for mathematics on the web.
Mathematica 4.2 also includes a new AuthorTools package and a slide show environment that make preparing notebooks for presentations and online and print publication much easier.
“Version 4.2 takes the changing Mathematica customer base into account without neglecting our core users,” says Roger Germundsson, Director of Research and Development at Wolfram Research. “An increasing number of our customers are using Mathematica in nontraditional ways–for example, as a metaprogramming tool, for document processing, or as a deployment mechanism–but we are also still committed to our core competency in technical computing. Mathematica 4.2 contains the largest collection of mathematical algorithms worldwide and is the only major technical computing system that includes state-of-the-art technology for global optimization, combinatorics, and graph theory in the core product.”
“Mathematica has always been uniquely capable as the hub of a technical professional’s world,” adds Conrad Wolfram, Director of Strategic Development. “Version 4.2 makes it ideal as an enterprise’s technical hub too. The integration of Java, XML, and Mathematica‘s capabilities in 4.2 holds the key to computational and document-oriented processing across an organization.”
Mathematica 4.2 is available for Windows, Mac OS, Mac OS X, Linux (PC, Alpha, PowerPC), Solaris, HP-UX, IRIX, AIX, Compaq Tru64 Unix, and compatible systems.
Mathematica 4.2 begins shipping in the United States and Canada June 24. It will be available in all other territories except Japan starting July 8. The Japanese edition of Mathematica 4.2 is scheduled for release in early fall 2002. More product details are available on the Mathematica product pages.