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MathJax should be enabled everywhere. Many communities either need it or will need it. It's tedious to ask for it every time, and then when it's added, to go back and edit dozens (hundreds? thousan...
Answer
#2: Post edited
by
samcarter
·
2023-08-15T14:45:30Z (over 1 year ago)
`$$` should not be used in LaTeX, it is the original plain TeX syntax, but in LaTeX `\[...\]` is the recommend markup for display math
- MathJax should be enabled everywhere. Many communities either need it or will need it. It's tedious to ask for it every time, and then when it's added, to go back and edit dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of questions which used some crude backtick syntax to make do in absence of MathJax.
- What is the reason for not adding anyway? I assumed that Stack sites either added as a retrofit long after the site was created, and/or they had to pay for some MathJax service and didn't want to bother adding native support. I'd like to think we are in a more enlightened place here :) and these don't apply.
- You would have a better argument for making backticks for code optional than MathJax. Mathematical notation has much broader relevance in life than code (I say this as a professional software developer and lifelong keen hacker). Virtually everyone learns math in primary school, but most people do not know how to code. And if I had to choose between more people knowing math and more people knowing to code, I would choose math any day even though I dislike math and love coding (and it's not just to reduce job competition! :D).
- >This causes problems for some communities, most notably those that have reason to use the dollar sign ($), such as Finance and Accounting.
- True. But of all the Stack sites I've used, if I had to name one site that doesn't support MathJax that I really, really wish it did, it would be Finance hands down.
It's unfortunate that Knuth did not pick a better syntax for Tex, and then the problem was perpetuated into Markdown by the creators of MathJax. It is indeed annoying when trying to describe currencies.Why don't we use `$$` for inline Math (Latex `$`) and `$$$` (when on its own line) for the multiline math (Latex `$$`)? MathJax users will know to try `$$` when `$` doesn't work, and `$$$` at least recalls ``` for code. Plus we could just add them to the little footer below the edit box.
- MathJax should be enabled everywhere. Many communities either need it or will need it. It's tedious to ask for it every time, and then when it's added, to go back and edit dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of questions which used some crude backtick syntax to make do in absence of MathJax.
- What is the reason for not adding anyway? I assumed that Stack sites either added as a retrofit long after the site was created, and/or they had to pay for some MathJax service and didn't want to bother adding native support. I'd like to think we are in a more enlightened place here :) and these don't apply.
- You would have a better argument for making backticks for code optional than MathJax. Mathematical notation has much broader relevance in life than code (I say this as a professional software developer and lifelong keen hacker). Virtually everyone learns math in primary school, but most people do not know how to code. And if I had to choose between more people knowing math and more people knowing to code, I would choose math any day even though I dislike math and love coding (and it's not just to reduce job competition! :D).
- >This causes problems for some communities, most notably those that have reason to use the dollar sign ($), such as Finance and Accounting.
- True. But of all the Stack sites I've used, if I had to name one site that doesn't support MathJax that I really, really wish it did, it would be Finance hands down.
- It's unfortunate that Knuth did not pick a better syntax for TeX, and then the problem was perpetuated into Markdown by the creators of MathJax. It is indeed annoying when trying to describe currencies.
- Why don't we use `$$` for inline Math (Latex `$`) and `$$$` (when on its own line) for the display math (TeX `$$`)? MathJax users will know to try `$$` when `$` doesn't work, and `$$$` at least recalls ``` for code. Plus we could just add them to the little footer below the edit box.
#1: Initial revision
by
matthewsnyder
·
2023-08-14T23:04:41Z (over 1 year ago)
MathJax should be enabled everywhere. Many communities either need it or will need it. It's tedious to ask for it every time, and then when it's added, to go back and edit dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of questions which used some crude backtick syntax to make do in absence of MathJax. What is the reason for not adding anyway? I assumed that Stack sites either added as a retrofit long after the site was created, and/or they had to pay for some MathJax service and didn't want to bother adding native support. I'd like to think we are in a more enlightened place here :) and these don't apply. You would have a better argument for making backticks for code optional than MathJax. Mathematical notation has much broader relevance in life than code (I say this as a professional software developer and lifelong keen hacker). Virtually everyone learns math in primary school, but most people do not know how to code. And if I had to choose between more people knowing math and more people knowing to code, I would choose math any day even though I dislike math and love coding (and it's not just to reduce job competition! :D). >This causes problems for some communities, most notably those that have reason to use the dollar sign ($), such as Finance and Accounting. True. But of all the Stack sites I've used, if I had to name one site that doesn't support MathJax that I really, really wish it did, it would be Finance hands down. It's unfortunate that Knuth did not pick a better syntax for Tex, and then the problem was perpetuated into Markdown by the creators of MathJax. It is indeed annoying when trying to describe currencies. Why don't we use `$$` for inline Math (Latex `$`) and `$$$` (when on its own line) for the multiline math (Latex `$$`)? MathJax users will know to try `$$` when `$` doesn't work, and `$$$` at least recalls ``` for code. Plus we could just add them to the little footer below the edit box.