MathML in other browsers (was Re: Amaya Usage)

> Why aren't Netscape and Microsoft integrating MathML
> into their browsers?

Netscape is working on it; or, more precisely, the Mozilla community which
is developing the open-source browser that is the basis for Netscape's new
browser is doing so (the folks in charge are not Netscape employees).  See
http://www.mozilla.org/projects/mathml/ .  Mozilla community developers are
also working on full XML/XSLT transformations and SVG implementation (as far
as I can tell, none of these projects are incorporated into the binary
packages being distributed by Mozilla and Netscape).

Microsoft I don't know about, since they don't exactly do their development
planning in public; maybe folks at W3C who attend the XML conferences and
the like will know and will answer you.  I do know that Microsoft
implemented a provisonal vector graphics standard proposal into MSIE 4.0
which was the basis for their proposal to W3C, and was I imagine one of the
sources for the SVG standard; and of course they have a reasonable
implementation of XML/XSLT transformations available now in the MSXML 3.0
parser (which is *not* distributed with MSIE 5.5); so I imagine that MathML
might be in the pipeline, if they consider it of sufficient value to their
broad-based consumer audience.  (Note, however, that the MS Office product
only installs the Microsoft Math Editor as an option, not as part of the
default installation, a fact that might have some bearing in the
kremlinological analysis of Redmond's product planning.)

Both also have implemented pretty decent Unicode support in their browsers.

Patrick Rourke
ptrourke@mediaone.net

Received on Thursday, 30 November 2000 14:05:46 UTC