Design Science recently introduced MathType 5.0, an update to its software that helps Mac word processors and page layout programs generate sophisticated math equations. This new version is billed as a significant upgrade that runs in both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X and features a wide variety of new features as well as improvements to existing ones.
The new features include hundreds of new symbols and templates; MathPage technology for turning Word documents into Web pages, complete with proper display of equations; installation of toolbars and commands into Word and PowerPoint for easy insertion of equations into documents and presentations; the ability to save equations as GIF images or EPS or PICT files; and more.
Improved features include recognition of “sin,” “cos,” and other function commands; a better ruler for more precise formatting; the ability to add or delete rows and columns within matrices and tables; mouse wheel support; unlimited undo and redo commands; better viewing of equations; and more.
MathType 5.0 for the Mac is fully compatible with its Windows counterpart. Design Science notes that it works with Microsoft Office v.X, Office 2001, and Office 98, AppleWorks, NisusWriter, QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, graphing applications such as DeltaGraph and other software.
A 30-day demo is available for download from the developer’s Web site. After it expires, it becomes MathType Lite, which still allows you to open documents created by others. System requirements call for Mac OS 9.x or Mac OS X v.10.1 or higher, 20MB free hard drive space, and 4MB RAM (12MB if used with Microsoft Word).
Pricing is US$129 for a full copy or $49.95 for those upgrading from an earlier edition. In addition, a $99 academic license is available.
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