The MathML reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
(provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

MathML

For thoughtful child sponsors

MathML ("Mathematical Markup Language") is an XML based markup language that is used to describe mathematical symbols and formulas, so that they can be presented in a familiar way in Web documents. It is a recommendation of the W3C math working group.

The specification of version 1.01 of the format was released in July 1999 and version 2.0 appeared in February 2001. Version 2.0 deals not only with the presentation but also with the meaning of formula components. The format is rather verbose and it is inconvenient to produce MathML formulas by hand; several utilities for doing so are available, including converters between TeX and MathML. The second edition of MathML Version 2.0 was published in October 2003 as the final release by the W3C math working group.

As of November 2003, the only two major web browsers directly supporting the format are Mozilla and Netscape Navigator version 7.1. However, other browsers support the format if external plugins are installed. For example, Internet Explorer 5.5+ will support MathML with MathPlayer plugin.

A system for marking up mathematical semantics, intended to complement MathML, is also under development. It is called OpenMath.

External links