数学公式插件对比
jsMath ASCIIMathML, PHPMathPublisher, MathJax and MathTeX
The following chart compares various math Web publishing options. Any of these can be used in blogs and forums (with some setup), and some can be used for sending math in an email.
For some background, see: MathJax – render math on the Web on all browsers
The shaded cells indicate the best candidate for that criterion. (Updated June 2011.)
| Images | jsMath | ASCII MathML | PHP Math Publisher | MathJax | MathTeX | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Traditional Web development - create images on local computer, include in HTML file, upload the lot to server | Scripts, fonts and images reside on server. User inputs LaTeX into HTML file. Browser processes code and displays math using text and images. No longer under development. | One script resides on server. User inputs (easy) code. Browser processes code and displays math using text. | Scripts, fonts and images reside on server. User inputs LaTeX into HTML file. Browser processes code and displays math as images. | Scripts, fonts and images reside on server. User inputs LaTeX into HTML file. Browser processes code and displays math using text and images.Allows for “copy-paste math”, where you can copy equations from (say) Wikipedia. | LaTeX processor on server. User inputs source code for image in LaTeX format. Image is created by server, on the fly. |
| Set up (for Webmaster) | Nothing to do! | Need to upload scripts, fonts, images | Very easy and light - just needs one JS file on your server (or not even that - just a link) | Easy set up on server (just a few files). Caches images after creating them. | Easy - just call the MathJax script at the top of the page | Very troublesome to set up LaTeX on server. |
| Ease of use (for math author or student) | Fiddly - need to create images locally and then upload to server | Fiddly - requires LaTeX input | Very easy to use - entering math is like calculator input (and you can use HTML symbols) | Fiddly - requires LaTeX input | Can input math using MathML or LaTeX.There is a (old) list of MathML editors here. | Fiddly - requires LaTeX input. |
| Cross-browser? | Yes (because images) | Opera didn't render the matrix; IE had some blemishes | Only works on Firefox (or IE with a plugin). Rendering in other browsers is poor | Yes (because images) | All browsers OK except very slow on IE, which made a mess of matrices. | Yes (because images) |
| Mobile? | Yes (but slow) | Slow to render but looks good | Slow to render - doesn't render properly (like non-Firefox desktop browsers) | Yes (because images) | Yes, but slow | Yes (because images) |
| Works in blog feeds (RSS)? | Yes (because images) | No | No | Yes (because images) | No | Yes (because images) |
| Example page | [http://www.intmath.com/plane-analytic-geometry/5-ellipse.php|Ellipse] | [http://www.squarecirclez.com/blog/jsmath-in-wordpress-blogs/967|jsMath in WordPress blogs] | [http://www.squarecirclez.com/blog/enter-math-in-emails-forums-and-web-pages-using-asciimathml/2861|Enter math in emails, forums and Web pages using ASCIIMathML] | [http://www.squarecirclez.com/blog/math-rendering-in-wordpress-using-wpmathpub/1293|Math rendering in WordPress using WPMathPub] | [http://www.squarecirclez.com/blog/?p=5703|MathJax – render math on the Web on all browsers] | [http://www.squarecirclez.com/blog/quadratic-formula-by-completing-the-square-easier-method/5670|Quadratic formula by completing the square – easier method] |
Conclusion
While there are some very good attempts at solving the problem of getting math onto a Web page in the above applications, none of them really solves all the following requirements:
- Easy to install
- Easy to use (especially for students)
- Cross-browser
- Mobile-friendly (small file sizes, low CPU requirements)
MathTeX would be a winner if there was an easy to use WYSIWYG editor. While there are various LaTeX editors, they all require a 2-step process (create the code in one application, then copy it to somewhere else for the Web).
Other solutions
My table doesn't include the following methods for publishing math on the Web:
- Google Docs (they recently changed the way you input math and did a bad job. It used to be a lot better)
- Zoho Writer (This is probably one of the most promising solutions, as its WYSIWYG LaTeX editor is quite user friendly and the documents in Zoho Writer can be shared, like Google Docs).
- TeXify (gives output as image, link for email, drag and drop to Google Docs - but you still have to know LaTeX to get any sense out of it!)
I hope this comparison has been of some use to you.
Any comments? Please leave them on: MathJax – render math on the Web on all browsers
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