One example is the new probability and probability distribution capabilities. There are many examples, most listed on New in Mathematica 8. And these things are important in smoothing and polishing the use of Mathematica.īut the most exciting thing about Mathematica 8 is that once again it’s able to build on the paradigm and principles of Mathematica, and on the existing tower of Mathematica capabilities, and reach new areas where nothing as systematic as Mathematica could ever be done before. Some fraction of the new functions in Mathematica 8 are in a sense incremental extensions and improvements to areas that Mathematica already covers.

In fact, never before have there been so many new functions added so quickly-and altogether almost as many new functions as there were functions at all in the original version of Mathematica back in 1988.īut the point is not just to add new functions-it’s to add whole new areas, and to qualitatively change what’s possible. And now, with Mathematica 8, the rapid growth has continued.

There was a kind of “Cambrian explosion” when Mathematica 6 was released, most notably associated with our invention of new ways to structure such a large system. And automation-which allows new layers of functionality to be added without having to worry about the operation of layers underneath.Īnd as one indication of the success of our development process, the picture below shows the growth in the number of built-in functions in Mathematica over the course of its history. Principles like coherent design-which let all parts of the system work together, and make it progressively easier to build new parts. But partly, it’s a remarkable reflection-and validation-of the core principles on which Mathematica has always been built. What has made that happen? Partly it’s our tenacious and broadening pursuit of ambitious long-term goals. As the years go by, Mathematica development is actually speeding up. In fact, with Mathematica it’s quite the opposite. With dramatic breakthroughs-and major broadening of the whole scope of Mathematica.Īfter 8 versions and 22 years most software systems have decayed to slow and lumbering development. Mathematica 8 is released today! It’s a huge and important release.

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