What can be added to forewords of the previous
books (see
http://twt.mpei.ac.ru/ochkov/mc8Pro.book/FOREWORD3.htm
http://twt.mpei.ac.ru/ochkov/mc8Pro.book/FOREWORD2.htm
http://twt.mpei.ac.ru/ochkov/mc8Pro.book/FOREWORD1.htm
).
A suggestion was to title the book «Mathcad for Dummies». But that was rejected for two reasons, formal
and real. Title «Mathcad
for Dummies» is a trademark
of publishing houses John Wiley & Sons (www.wiley.com)
and (in Russian version) «Dialektika» (www.dialektika.com). The real reason
− such title as this is not quite right for the mathematical tool. On the
contrary, Word, Internet or Excel as well as Windows: to use those even «dummy» parts is impossible without studying «dummy» bases of Windows. Moreover, «Mathcad for Quick-Witted» fits the book better as it was
written for users who not only solve technical or educational problems but also
like intellectual games. Somebody completes a level in a shooter, the other solves
a sophisticated problem in Mathcad, discovers new features concealed even from
developers. Besides, title «…for Students and Engineers» can be considered unregistered (for the present moment) trademark of
the author.
Author wanted to title the book simply «Mathcad for Students and Engineers», without mentioning number of the
version but the publisher altered it as he cares about marketing more. Author
agreed with that because he tested all the beta-releases of Mathcad 12 and
knows the program from within. It is disappoint that new Mathcad releases are produced
very often and the book with number of release in the title has no time to be
published and appears at one time with next version or even later. In that case,
the number of version works against commercial success of the book. Author
hopes that the book will not be usual «shine of extinguished star». Frankly speaking, it is not
connected closely to Mathcad 12 but directed to general Mathcad values.
What is about Mathcad 12?
At first, what force the creators to issue new
versions and users to buy it?
The main reason for creators is to earn an
income − they work in trading companies not in charitable foundations.
The other reasons are:
·
To
adapt a new version for changes in hardware and software which have took place
or just about to come.
·
To
rectify revealed mistakes and revise the current version.
·
To
add capabilities by creating new functions, operators and menu commands and to integrate
greatly with other applications.
And what force users to buy new versions of a
program or to make upgrades to that current? The reasons are the same as listed
before except for the first one. But some new are added.
·
The
reasons followed from well-known principle: not to be worse than the others.
·
To
use somebody else’s files created in a new format.
·
An
ordinary curiosity, wish to test new features of the release to tell the
students about it (if you are an educator).
A reader can analyze the new features of
Mathcad 12 using above-stated or his own model. It is listed below:
1.
New
Engine (stability, reliability)
2.
Saved
results
3.
New
graph formatting options
4.
Secondary
y-axis
5.
XMCD
(XML) file format
6.
Worksheet
properties (metadata for the document)
7.
Compressed
images
8.
New
and improved documentation
9.
Enhanced
functions
10.
Namespace
operator
11.
Setting
preferred units for simplification
12.
Local
functions
13.
Re-introduced
until function
This book is not a user guide of the twelfth version
of Mathcad although all it improvements are considered. New features of
versions 2000, 2001 and 11 are discussed too as the author have had to jump
over it. Mathsoft Company release so-called Mathcad Application Server to
transport calculations from workstations to the servers. This modern tendency
of information technology is considered in chapter seven.
The author extends circle of the people to thank for their help in creation of the book. The author expresses sincere thanks to Julia Chudova, Mona Zeftel, Beth Porter and Thomas Christoffersen.
November 2004
(Editing
by Stuart Bruff stuart@stuartafbruff.flyer.co.uk )