https://gunkies.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=MACSYMAMACSYMA - Revision history2026-10-28T01:16:42ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.11https://gunkies.org/w/index.php?title=MACSYMA&diff=37720&oldid=prevJnc: A decent start2026-10-27T14:48:56Z<p>A decent start</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>'''MACSYMA''' (now often given in the cased form, '''Macsyma''') was an ground-breaking symbolic mathematics/computing system. It was created at [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], starting in 1967; it was based on earlier work in that area, at MIT and elsewhere. It was written in [[LISP]]; the MIT version of LISP, [[MACLISP]]. was given significant improvements to support it.<br />
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It later had a complex history, as MIT attempted to spin it off. Since the basic version had effectively been paid for by US Government funding, it was 'sort of' publicly available through them, and several early versions made it out that way. MIT tried to pass it off to [[Symbolics]], but they, distracted by a focus on their [[LISP Machine]] products, didn't give it the support it needed against descendants inspired by it, which became its competition.<br />
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One major addition/enhancement made during that process was greatly improved support for actual numerical work, which also included improved graph production.<br />
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Funding for the project at MIT paid for the purchase of two [[PDP-10]]'s running [[Incompatible Timesharing System|ITS]]; first MIT-ML, and later MIT-MC.<br />
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==Further reading==<br />
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* W. A. Martin, R. J. Fateman, [https://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/gjs/6.945/readings/simplification/martin-fateman-macsyma.pdf The MACSYMA System], Second Symposium on Symbolic and Algebraic Manipulation, Los Angeles, 1971, pp. 59-75<br />
* Joel Moses, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304215149/http://esd.mit.edu/Faculty_Pages/moses/Macsyma.pdf Macsyma: A Personal History]<br />
* Richard Petti, [https://web.archive.org/web/20060404231043/http://www.ma.utexas.edu/pipermail/maxima/2003/005861.html Macsyma Saga] - covers the post-MIT period in some detail<br />
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20120716232947/http://www.math.utexas.edu/pipermail/maxima/2003/005884.html Macsyma Saga] - footnotes to the above<br />
* [https://archivesspace.mit.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/97859 The MACSYMA Papers, 1970]<br />
* Richard J. Fateman, [http://bitsavers.computerhistory.org/pdf/mit/macsyma/Fateman_ReviewOfMaxima_1982.pdf A Review of Macsyma], 1982-1984, revised lightly 10/2001<br />
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==External links==<br />
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* [http://www.symbolics-dks.com/Macsyma-1.htm Macsyma] - a productized version of Macsyma for Windows 95, 98, 2000 and XP<br />
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[[Category: Applications]]</div>Jnc