1.3 Server Side Approaches to Math Publication

Mathematical content on this site is published via presentation MathML. The MathML source is rendered by the MathJax  engine. This software resides on the server and downloads javascript and web fonts to render MathML into publication-quality mathematical expressions on recent versions of all major browsers. At the publisher’s discretion, it will also utilize native browser MathML support and locally resident STIX fonts when they are available on the client.

In other words, MathML-based mathematical content is rendered for this site’s visitors with no special client-side preparations or browser based MathML support required – which makes the topic of native browser support for MathML somewhat rhetorical.

MathJax is a rapidly maturing product sponsored by several of the same mathematically-oriented publishers that developed the STIX fonts. For more information on the local MathJax implementation, see the final section of this document (Section 8).

Since MathJax is implemented on the server-side by individual publishers, it is not a general solution to the client-side mathematical browsing problem addressed by this document. However, it does provide an easily implemented, robust technique for serious publishers to overcome the lackadaisical attitude of Microsoft, Apple, and Google toward implementation of MathML in particular and internet math publication in general.