[BlindMath] Passing along news re MacKichan software

[David Andrews]

>
>Good morning ATHEN-ites,
>
>am passing along the information about the 
>demise of MacKichan software, the company that 
>handles Scientific Notebook, Scientific Word, & 
>Math Talk. The company shuttered as of June 30, 
>2021. Here is an update from the CEO:
>
>There is information in this news release 
>regarding how to handle both individual & site 
>licenses for Scientific Notebook. This is a 
>tough one for those of us who do research & 
>train colleagues & students on accessible math 
>software for people with mobility impairments & 
>learning disabilities such as dysgraphia & dyscalculia.
>
>While Scientific Word may end up in the realm of 
>open source software (good thing), math talk & 
>the algorithm that produces the interface for 
>Scientific Notebook & between Dragon 
>NaturallySpeaking & Scientific Notebook is 
>unlikely to be replicated because of copyright & proprietary restrictions.
>
>In any case, here is the press release, now a 
>couple of months old. My suggestion is that you 
>share the Scientific Notebook licensing 
>information with those on your campus who have 
>this program and want to continue using it.
>
>I received this on another listserv this morning.
>SOURCE:
>Jane Fridrich
>Assistive Technologist
>Laurier University
>
>Hi, the website of MacKichan software makers of 
>MathTalk and Scientific Notebook have closed 
>June 30th.  We used scientific notebook as a 
>great math conversion tool.  An unfortunate 
>casualty of COVID? The open source code sounds promising...
>
> From their site: <https://www.mackichan.com/>https://www.mackichan.com/
>
>MacKichan Software, Inc. has gone out of 
>businessSales have ceased for Scientific 
>WorkPlace, Scientific Word, and Scientific Notebook
>MacKichan Software, Inc., after providing word 
>processing software for those who speak the 
>language of mathematics for forty years (under 
>several names), closed its doors on June 30, 
>2021. This marks the end of sales and support 
>for the MacKichan Software products.
>
>All owners of Scientific WorkPlace, Scientific 
>Word, or Scientific Notebook should have a 
>serial number that was included in their 
>purchase. This number is also included in the 
>license file for your installation as the last 
>line in the file. If you need to install your 
>software on a new or different computer, you 
>will need to re-activate the software on that 
>computer using that serial number. The software 
>can be activated as before, using the 
>Help/Activate menu item. This contacts the 
>MacKichan Software licensing server, which we 
>will keep running for at least two years.
>
>Sites with permanent site licenses will, of 
>course, be free to use Scientific WorkPlace, 
>Scientific Word, and/or Scientific Notebook as 
>long as they like. Those sites that have paid 
>for maintenance with home-use satellite licenses 
>can continue, but will be unable to create new 
>satellite licenses after their maintenance agreement expires.
>
>We expect to make Scientific Word an open source 
>product eventually. Since both Scientific 
>WorkPlace and Scientific Notebook contain the 
>proprietary computer algebra system MuPAD, they 
>cannot be made open source. When the open source 
>project for Scientific Word is established, an announcement will be made here.
>
>We hope to make version 5.5 of Scientific Word 
>available in the future. It currently contains 
>several components that are licensed and not 
>owned by MacKichan Software. These components 
>need to be removed, and our intention is then to 
>make Scientific Word version 5.5 open source.
>
>Barry MacKichan
>President
>MacKichan Software, Inc.
>
>July 1, 2021
>
>The latest released version of these products is 
>6.1.2. To update your program to the latest release, click here.
>The same page also contains links to the 
>installers for version 5.5 and the manuals for versions 5.5 and 6.
>
>
>Wink Harner
>Accessibility Consultant/Alternative Text Production
>The Foreign Type
>
>Portland OR
><mailto:foreigntype at gmail.com>foreigntype at gmail.com
>480-984-0034
>
>This email was dictated using Dragon 
>NaturallySpeaking. Please forgive quirks, misrecognitions, or errata .