I'm a longtime MathCAD user (pre PTC). I've let my service contract lapse (I'm just a single user and I use for home projects and such) and now it's going to cost like $1200 just to keep up. I can't run MathCAD 15 on Windows 8+, which I prefer, and while the Prime 2.0 I have access to is close enough I still stumble around in it to find things. So I've been searching for alternatives. I found this on the Alternativeto website. I played around a bit with the Studio version. It looks too good to be true which always makes me suspicious.

I'm not a math nerd I just prefer to calculate using the tools like we learned them in school. Graphing, stats, data post processing, and pretty garden variety engineering math are what I use MathCAD for.

I'd be interested in current users experience about: legitimacy (errors), equivalency to MathCAD, threat of virus/other. This feedback might either reinforce using this or send me the other way. If you're like me I'd appreciate your feedback on how well this is for basic MathCAD like use.

The simple answer would be:

- SMath is the closest to Mathcad/Prime as it could be (SMath is free to use) and there is no other software like this AFAIK.
- Try it, spend some time with it and see if it satisfies your needs.

Regards,
Radovan

Thanks.

In the german SMath handbook you find a section on alternatives to SMath Studio.

Look for

MathStudio
TI Nspire CAS
Maxima
Giac/Xcas
iMath (Office-plugin)
Microsoft Mathematics
Redcrab

Thanks for the listing of other products. I doubt I'd be able to read the German handbook.

Hello Dinsmoor,

I am an engineer and use SMath studio for many (relatively basic) calculations.
In the past I used mathcad, and I must say SMath is the best alternative for Mathcad. Or even: SMath is better than mathcad: when you are stuck, you can post a question on the forum and you get real help! And fast! That doesn't work with PTC...

Also, the way of typing and a lot of functions resemble those of mathcad, so you don't need much learning time.

I can recommend SMath for you.

Regards, csb.

I used Mathcad 8 Pro, 2001i, 11 Single User Edition c/w all Extension Packs [participated
to the design of the DAEP]. May 30 2015, 15:30, PTC canceled their contract with Macrovision.
Since My registered version got zapped and my PC defuntized itself. Fortunately, I still have
11 working from a back2back copy [Extension packs are not working]. In short, Smath replaces
Mathcad for most of the current Engineering works ... except for the parts that were designed
by original Mathsoft [Minerr LM, Adaptive integration, Odesolve wrappe, l_p_c_spline as function,
few more exceptions]. 2D plots aren't as easy to use in Smath but Smath 2D are the finest trace
in the market. Smath does not have 3D matrix plots, but plots implicit f(u,v) vector function.
Smath plots and rotates the Breather ...

If you visit "Samples" conference in this forum, download over 100's Smath work sheets.
You will judge what it can do for you. Mathcad to Smath code conversion is sometimes painful.
Don't go too far away, soon some "spline tool" will be posted, maybe tonight.

Cheers, Jean

Thanks. That's the kind of info I'm looking for.

Hello [userlink]Dinsmoor[/userlink],

welcome here, whatever you will choose to stay for a long time or not

I'm not a mathcad user so I can't make comparisons between those products, but there are several of them around here (like Jean Giraud above), so they will talk better than me about the main differences. Just to be clear, SMath is like mathcad but is not his clone, and there aren't plans to make them the same thing.

We are constantly trying to improve the program, both in the core (stability, features, calculations reliability) and in the plugins (those from community are open-source projects and the sources are always available in the SVN repository, anyone interested can always help to improve them or create new ones).

All the program releases are available in the archive on this forum; there aren't online registration ties, therefore you can choose which versions to install and eventually stay with those versions forever (or at least as long as you are able to find a machine or a virtual machine that supports the .NET framework).

As mentioned above, take a look around and try to experiment by yourself, we are always here for any question or suggestion

Thank you. I'm going to continue to monitor for a bit more. From what I have read from this forum it seems like it's a pretty decent. I'm going to download probably tonight and install and put it to some use. I'm ok with it not being a clone and again my needs aren't super high end. As long as its fairly usable and does what I need it to do I think it will be a good fit.

Wrote

Thank you.I'm going to continue to monitor for a bit more.From what I have read from this forum it seems like it's a pretty decent.I'm going to download probably tonight and install and put it to some use.I'm ok with it not being a clone and again my needs aren't super high end.As long as its fairly usable and does what I need it to do I think it will be a good fit.

My friend, you will drop dead what Smath can do for you !
Further, Smath Community is very friendly and helpful.

Bad luck: PTC couldn't renew Maple contract. Smath/Maple companions
is the all thing for advanced Engineering/Scientific applications.
Smath is superb for publishing projects. In many respects, easier
to work with than Mathcad was [11 and earlier].

... Mathcad 11 can't do the very same, superb for publishing.

... from Smath/Maple companions

I was a former MathCad user. I used both 15 and the prime versions up to about 3.0. I found SMath as an alternative that I could use at home. I used Mathcad in my day job as an engineer. The more I used SMath, the more I began to prefer it over MathCad and eventually switched to SMath at work.

I've been able to find alternative methods in SMath to do most things that I used Mathcad for and more.

Reasons I prefer SMath

1. It's free.

2. Forum is very active. Response time to questions from very knowledgeable power users and developers is usually within just a few hours.

3. Plugins. Plugins. Plugins. The standalone program is constantly getting more features, but I couldn't use SMath daily without the use of plugins. Maxima, Writer Region, XY Plot are some of the ones I use daily. Also, the developers of these plugins are typically pretty responsive to questions. Some are Smath Developers now. You can make your own plugins if you so desire.

4. Snippets. I use snippets to house code/functions that i repeatedly use. It's essentially a built in way to copy/paste things you use all the time and does so in a neat format.

4. Portability. I only use the portable version now. see footer in Martin's post (mkraska). I place it on a network drive. The network drive is nice because I can access the same version of SMath on multiple devices and have my snippets, plugins, etc common to all devices. Also great if you want to share snippets among multiple users. If everyone access the portable version housed in the same location, you only have to update the SW, plugins, snippets in one location. If you wanted you could place this on a USB and make it portable that way as well.

Generally speaking the plugin developers and SMath developers tend to be reasonably responsive to bugs/feature requests. For plugins especially, if a bug is found, it's not uncommon for a fix to be uploaded within a couple days.

Andrey and team are constantly putting out updates to SMath core program as well. I really appreciate all the work that goes into this tool! Thanks guys!

Wrote

I can't run MathCAD 15 on Windows 8+, which I prefer, and while the Prime 2.0 I have access to is close enough I still stumble around in it to find things.

PM sent

I can't run MathCAD 15 on Windows 8+, which I prefer, and while the Prime 2.0 I have access to is close enough
I still stumble around in it to find things


What is the question wrt Smath ... what is the answer ?

I'm with alyles and Jean.
I've been switching to SMath to the extent possible. As the feature set and plugins grow, I'm sure Mathcad will be a memory, that's how active this forum and support is (Thanks to all)

With that said, in December, PTC released Mathcad 15 M050 which is officially supporting Windows 10. I know this helps we at work since that is the "official" software. I have been slowly converting calculations from Mathcad to SMath, but some of the programming subsets are not available on SMath ... YET!

Wrote

I have been slowly converting calculations from Mathcad to SMath,
but some of the programming subsets are not available on SMath ... YET!

Smath is not a clone to Mathcad. I still have some unsolved conversion.
Most annoying with "savant Mathcad" are the subsets that work by magic.
That said, Smath is far superior as you can't code invisible magic !!!
What you code is what you get.
I followed evolution of PTC regarding Mathcad since April 2006,
I concluded that they knew nothing about Mathcad/Mathsoft.
They shouldn't have ignored the neerds collabs from the Mathsoft time.
I loved Mathcad, but I'm now addict to Smath.

Jean

Thanks to everyone whose posted. I've made a soft conversion having installed it and am using to some extent (this isn't a daily use program for me).

Guess what ... I became aware of Smath as partial substitute to Mathcad/PTC
from the PTC Community, from Fred K. [a 15 years laps Collab].