MathMagic Personal Edition 8.9

Overview

MathMagic is one of the most useful tools  that a modern mathematics researcher, professor or teacher can use. With it you no longer need to worry how you’re going to write equations and mathematical texts, it includes everything you’d ever need to write: functions, limits, multiple integrals, sums and tons of other maths expressions. In addition, it supports several formats for full compatibility with other software such as LaTeX, MathML, Wiki and MathType. A text-to-speech feature is implemented for reading out the written expressions.

Installation

The main installation begins just a couple of clicks after launching the installer. No configurations are required from the user and no malware/spyware are embedded.

The supported operating systems are Windows XP (SP2) or newer. Some computers don’t have the required DLL components installed, therefore you need to manually download them from Microsoft’s site (more information can be found on MathMagic’s website). Moreover, after installation you should set MathMagic to run in compatibility mode (Windows XP SP2) and as an administrator.

Interface

Elegant and organized is the least you can call the program’s interface. At the top of the window are a few toolbars with many buttons residing in them. Those buttons actually have the most used symbols for quick access in your text. In the center of the window is the editing area. Some floating windows are open when you launch the program, which include options to change the size and color of the text, as well as templates with frequently used items and equations.

Pros

The advanced WYSIWYG editor will automatically format your equations accordingly and also accept many keyboard shortcuts.

A few common equations are available to you through the Clips floating window, for easier access to them and faster input.

Your files can be exported to one of the following formats in order to be compatible with other software: EPS, JPEG, PICT, GIF, BMP, PNG, TIFF, WMF, OLE, PDF, Plain TeX, LaTeX, MathML, Wiki, ASCIIMath, MS Word, MathType, Math Speech and others. But its capabilities don’t stop there; you can change several settings regarding those formats. Plus, you can convert files between the supported formats.

Many built-in templates and symbols are available for different sciences, for example there exist templates for Mathematics, Physics and Electronics depending on the area you are working on.

Cons

The hotkeys unfortunately cannot be re-arranged; however they are so many of them that it would be too complicated for users to assign them themselves. Other than that, there is no other disadvantage in this program.

Alternatives

One of the programs included in LibreOffice’s suite is Math, a equation editor like MathMagic. You can use it to add formulas and equations in your documents, like spreadsheets, presentations and PDF files. In contrast to MathMagic, it only supports saving your documents in OpenOffice formula format (*.odf), MathML format and PDF. It is not as advanced as MathMagic as well. Another alternative for Windows and Mac is MathType (paid), which can be used for various purposes just like MathMagic. It has many features and makes the competition with MathMagic quite interesting.

Conclusion

This program will cover all your needs for technical writing with equations and formulas. It has a really easy to use interface, and has many features that you won’t find elsewhere. There is no chance you will be disappointed if you give it a try.