MathType is a point and click mathematical equation editor. It is the full-featured version of the Equation Editor that comes with Microsoft Office and other products. While its mouse-centric user interface is somewhat the antithesis of TeX’s, it has a number of features that may be of interest to members of the TeX community:
– It works with many Windows applications that TeX does not work directly with, such as word processors, presentation programs like PowerPoint, and many more. You can even place equations in flowcharts made with programs like Visio.
– It can produce TeX and LaTeX code from its equations. This can be helpful to someone learning TeX or just to take advantage of MathType’s ability to work directly in mathemtical notation in order to get the nested braces right on a particularly gnarly equation.
– You can even type TeX language directly into the MathType window. This allows you to get the best of both the WYSIWYG editing and TeX worlds. – MathType can also produce GIF files for websites and blogs and EPS files for desktop publishing chores.

MathType is supplied here as a 30-day evaluation. If you decide to purchase MathType, you can use the Order MathType command within MathType itself to purchase a product key. You can also visit the Design Science website to learn more about MathType. If you have questions, email them to support@dessci.com.

The author is Bruce Virga.