Design Science News

MathML usage keeps growing!

Every so often, we take a look at how MathPlayer is being used. In the last 22 months, MathPlayer 2.0 and 2.1 have racked up nearly 500,000,000 MathML expressions viewed -- that's one half billion expressions. That's a lot of math!

MathPlayer V2.1 introduced accessibility features when it was released less than two years age. In that time, over 1.8 million expressions were spoken aloud by screen readers and other assistive technology. That pales in comparison to how much math was viewed, but that is 1.8 million expressions that would likely have been unreadable without MathML and MathPlayer. These numbers are a reminder why the NFB recommends using MathML and reinforce the importance of using MathML for representing math expressions so that everyone can have access to math.

You can learn more about MathPlayer from our MathPlayer web site, including how to download MathPlayer for free. You can also learn more about MathML and accessibility from there and from our math accessibility web site.

Design Science to Support MathML-to-SVG for EPUB Ebooks

We just announced that we are developing a new MathML-to-SVG component as part of our MathFlow product line. Publishers in the STEM marketplace (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) have rapidly moved to the EPUB format standard because of its open licensing and comprehensive feature set. In particular, mathematical equations are formatted using SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) and embedded fonts to produce excellent quality on screen as well as print. This new MathFlow component will be helpful in creating publisher workflows for EPUB and other formats.

You can read more about it in our press release, Design Science to Support MathML-to-SVG for EPUB Ebooks; EPUB is rapidly becoming the leading ebook format for STEM textbooks and journals