This is a remarkably powerful and elegant program, with a vast number of functions, built-in and in packages. The programming capabilities, for scientific and mathematical problem solving, are astounding. Highly recommended for techies in just about any field who want to represent just about any problem imaginable. No compromise levels of precision. When Mathematica says Pi, it means Pi, not 3.14159.

Unfortunately, the company has always charged top dollar, to the point that regular folks, especially non-students cannot usually afford the program and constant updates (which are very, very costly). 15 years ago I spent $1100 for version 3; subsequently I invested another $500-600 in upgrades. Having recently moved to Mac, I would need to begin the investment process all over again. How can a program so good be marketed so badly?