Mathematica on Ubuntu

Question

Can someone explain the connection between Mathematica and Ubuntu.
Is it possible to have Mathematica on it?
Do you have to pay for it?
How to run Mathematica on Sage? (or other equivalent)
Where you can download Mathematica for Ubuntu 14.04?
Is there a way to open Mathematica notebook with Sage?

Solution 1

• the connection between Mathematica and Ubuntu.

Mathematica is developed by Wolfram , Ubuntu - by Canonical. These two companies are not affiliated in any way, and their purposes are different.

• Is it possible to have Mathematica on it?

As mentioned in other posts, yes, it is possible, there is desktop version for linux. Refer to the instructions here. The installation is done through bash script, so most likely the script will determine your linux distro and install .deb package (which is appropriate for Ubuntu). On Fedora that would be rpm package

• Do you have to pay for it?

Mathematica is proprietary , so yes you will have to pay for it. My university offers free installation of Mathematica since I am a student, so you may want to check with your math or IT department regarding available software.

• How to run Mathematica on Sage? (or other equivalent)

The best option would be to use Mathematica directly on the desktop instead of virtual machine, but if you insist, you might want to have it installed within windows virtual machine.

• Where you can download Mathematica for Ubuntu 14.04?

On Wolfram's official website, but again - double check with your university/college. You may have free student version available.

Solution 2

It will work on Ubuntu, and you do have to pay for it.

Maxima is a free alternative, as is SageMath.