November 3, 2025
WASM? More like WOW‑some
ECL Runs Maxima in a Browser
Maxima jumps into your browser—open‑source math vs. the pricey giants
TLDR: Maxima now runs in your browser via WebAssembly, complete with fancy equations and charts. The crowd is split between hyping it as a free rival to big-name math tools and reliving an Android app purge while debating ECL vs ABCL—either way, powerful math without installs matters.
The web just got a math brain: developer Marius Gerbershagen compiled Maxima—an open‑source math system—into WebAssembly (code that runs fast in your browser) using ECL (a flavor of Common Lisp). The result? Fancy TeX formula displays and slick graphics via gnuplot, all inside a tab. Try it here: maxima-on-wasm.pages.dev.
Cue the comment drama. One camp is already crowning it a free alternative to the big-money math tools—think Mathematica, Matlab, Maple—but with a browser twist. Another camp rolled in with Android flashbacks: there used to be an ECL+Maxima app on the Play Store before the “purge,” and they’re still salty—and curious why it didn’t use ABCL (another Common Lisp, often tied to Java). That little ABCL vs. ECL throwdown gave the thread its spicy energy: which Lisp is the “right” brain behind math magic?
Meanwhile, skeptics are squinting at the site like “where’s the project description?” and asking if this is truly a full replacement or just a shiny demo. And yes, memes arrived: “Everything runs in the browser,” “math now loads faster than our coffee,” and “TeX so glam it turns algebra into couture.” Whether you’re team browser‑everything or team show‑me‑docs, the vibe is clear: power‑math with no install has people talking—and poking—with gusto.
Key Points
- •Marius Gerbershagen compiled Maxima to WebAssembly using ECL.
- •The result runs Maxima entirely in a web browser.
- •The implementation includes TeX-based rendering of formulas.
- •Graphics are provided via gnuplot compiled to WebAssembly.
- •A live demo is available at http://maxima-on-wasm.pages.dev/.