XDG standard: Is Math a Science

[Dave Cridland [Home]]

On Tue Feb 10 21:15:13 2004, Shaun McCance wrote:
>Really, the category codes aren't user-visible strings.  I don't think
>they should be thought of as a definitive taxonomy.  Rather, they are
>indicative of the utility of the software.  The only kind of software
>that I can think of that's distinctly Mathematics is computer algebra
>systems.  And those are definitely of interest to just about all types
>of scientists and engineers.

Before I begin, I feel very strongly that it should be painted black, with a 
nice blue roof, and most especially it needs to have a lockable door. There 
are too many instance of theft these days, and we do want to encourage 
greener forms of transport, so let's give people a nice secure location for 
storage, with easy access for authorised personel.

By the way, I think we're safe in considering applied mathematics to be 
sciencesque, and I'm not sure if you could have a pure mathematics computer 
program, given that you'd have to apply the maths in order to write it. Not 
that I can actually find a dictionary with a definition of "Mathematics" 
which does not describe mathematics as a science, but that's another story 
entirely.

Dave.
--
Freelance dual-wheeled human-powered transport storage engineer.