The high-level goals of this project are that mathematics should be stored in a way that is easy for both computers and humans to consume. Our plan has three parts:
Enhance its compatibility, ensuring it can be used on many platforms.
Explore integration with existing platforms for creating mathematical content.
Develop applications that allow those consuming mathematical content to take advantage of the computer’s improved understanding of that content.
We wish to ensure that the editor is usable on as many platforms as possible:
More mobile testing
Internet Explorer compatibility (possibly through babelify?)
We seek to allow people to use the editor in contexts in which they already create mathematical content. Some (by no means all) platforms that I wish to explore specifically are:
Programming tools: Jupyter notebooks, Sage workbooks
Javascript libraries/frameworks: Quill.js, ReactJS, CodeMirror
Content management systems: TiddlyWiki, Moodle, WordPress, Emacs
When mathematical content is stored in a computer-friendly way, there should be ways of leveraging that extra understanding to help those consuming that content.
We envision a tool a bit like a programming IDE, except for reading mathematics. For example, if when reading a theorem we find a symbol whose definition we have forgotten, we should be able to click on that symbol and be able to cross-reference its definition and its other instances in the document.
If PostScript is the assembly language of typesetting mathematics, then perhaps LaTeX is the C and this XML format can be one of many competing higher-level languages for specifying mathematical formulae–not optimal for all use-cases, but addressing positively the needs of a few.