[Blindmath] mathplayer, jaws, and math in graphics?

[Andrew Stacey]

There seems to be some confusion regarding LaTeX and MathML here.  I'd like to
help straighten that out, if I may.  The confusion is with regarding their
roles.

LaTeX is an input format.  It is how we mathematicians write our articles,
books, webpages, and anything else where mathematics is involved.  (And often
anything where mathematics isn't involved.  I use LaTeX to design my
children's birthday invitations.)  It is not designed to be read as-is.  It is
intended to be processed into a suitable output format and then read.  If
anyone thinks that they can read LaTeX and understand what is going on, then
I have a few documents I can post samples from which will soon disabuse you of
that notion.  Of course, very simple LaTeX can be read.  Something like x^2
+ y^2 = z^2 is fairly easy to understand, but try something more complicated
like \sum_{m = 2 \over m \text{prime}}^{\infty} \frac{1}{m^s} and you'll see
what I mean.  And that's fairly simple compared to what can be written.  When
you realise that LaTeX (or rather, TeX) is completely programmable, then
you'll see that you can find absolutely anything in a LaTeX document.

MathML is an output format.  It is not designed to be written directly, but it
is designed to be read.  Of course, one needs a suitable renderer: a browser
for the sighted and something like MathPlayer for those who want their
mathematics read, but then the same is true of any output format.  As it is an
open standard, it is a reasonable task to design a program to render MathML in
to any desired medium.

It is possible, though not always straightforward, to convert LaTeX to MathML.
One reason why it is not always straightforward is that TeX (the program
underlying LaTeX) often needs to know things about its output.  When run
normally, TeX has complete control over the process and so can know exactly
how the output will be seen.  When producing MathML (or XHTML), it can't know
exactly how the output will be seen.  But those are technical difficulties
that can usually be avoided.  The main difficulty is that most websites don't
bother with this route.  They convert the LaTeX mathematics to a graphic which
is then displayed, with the original LaTeX as the alt text.  Because of how it
is produced, the LaTeX is usually very simple (no complicated macros), and so
it may be possible to get by with reading the alt text.

So if you want to read mathematics, look for MathML.  If you want to write
mathematics, learn LaTeX (or another TeX variant).

Andrew Stacey