Dear Wikipedians,
We'd like to announce a major update of the Math (rendering) extension.
For registered Wikipedia users, we have introduced a new math rendering
mode using MathML, a markup language for mathematical formulae. Since MathML
is not supported in all browsers [1], we have also added a fall-back mode
using scalable vector graphics (SVG).
Both modes offer crisp rendering at any resolution, which is a major
advantage over the current image-based default. We'll also be able to make
our math more accessible by improving screenreader and magnification support.
We encourage you to enable the MathML mode in your Appearance preferences.
As an example, the URL for this section on the English Wikipedia is:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering
For editors, there are also two new optional features:
1) You can set the "id" attribute to create math tags that can be
referenced. For example, the following math tag
<math id="MassEnergyEquivalence">
E=mc^2
</math>
can be referenced by the wikitext
[[#MassEnergyEquivalence|mass energy equivalence]]
This is true regardless of the rendering mode used.
2) In addition, there is the attribute "display" with the possible values
"block" or "inline". This attribute can be used to control the layout
of the
math tag with regard to centering and size of the operators. See
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Math/Displaystyle
for a full description, of this feature.
Your feedback is very welcome. Please report bugs in Bugzilla against the
Math extension, or post on the talk page here:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension_talk:Math
All this is brought to you by Moritz Schubotz and Frédéric Wang (both
volunteers) in collaboration with Gabriel Wicke, C. Scott Ananian,
Alexandros Kosiaris and Roan Kattouw from the Wikimedia Foundation. We also
owe a big thanks to Peter Krautzberger and Davide P. Cervone of MathJax for
the server-side math rendering backend.
Best,
Gabriel Wicke (GWicke) and Moritz Schubotz (Physikerwelt)
[1]: Currently MathML is supported by Firefox & other Gecko-based browsers,
and accessibility tools like Apple's VoiceOver. There is also partial
support in WebKit.