A New Kind of Science Explorer

Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Companion
Review: As the lead developer of A New Kind Science Explorer I am quite pleased with this product, and I think that those interested in Stephen Wolfram's book and science will enjoy NKS Explorer too. Turning 10 years of scientific research and 1192 page book overflowing with graphics and programs into an easy to use, accessible software product was quite a daunting task, but I think that we have really succeeded with NKS Explorer. The key was building the simple, forms based interface which allowed us to offer over 450 different computer experiments from Wolfram's book covering virtually every major topic in the book. From just about any page in the main text of A New Kind of Science, you can jump to the same experiment in NKS Explorer and probably find the exact graphic you are looking at among the examples. The number of different kinds of experiments in NKS Explorer is really astounding.

NKS Explorer is perfect for anyone who is interested in really understanding Wolfram's science. Readers of A New Kind of Science will appreciate the opportunity to see the programs discussed in Wolfram's book come to life. They can experiment with the same programs they are reading about, interactively discovering the insights that lead to the creation of A New Kind of Science. But, NKS Explorer is not just about recreating what is in the book; the forms based interface allows for open ended experimentation. Even advanced researchers will find NKS Explorer a valuable tool for studying new rules and systems beyond the book. I think that NKS Explorer is ideal not only as a companion to A New Kind of Science, but also as a tool for serious research. It is exciting that we have been able to create something that can be appreciated by a whole range of users from the neophyte to the university professor. In the end, I think that anyone who is interested in Wolfram's science will find NKS Explorer to be fascinating and fun; I still surprise myself with some of the things I find.

Andrew de Laix,
Lead Developer, A New Kind of Science Explorer

Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Companion
Review: As the lead developer of A New Kind Science Explorer I am quite pleased with this product, and I think that those interested in Stephen Wolfram's book and science will enjoy NKS Explorer too. Turning 10 years of scientific research and 1192 page book overflowing with graphics and programs into an easy to use, accessible software product was quite a daunting task, but I think that we have really succeeded with NKS Explorer. The key was building the simple, forms based interface which allowed us to offer over 450 different computer experiments from Wolfram's book covering virtually every major topic in the book. From just about any page in the main text of A New Kind of Science, you can jump to the same experiment in NKS Explorer and probably find the exact graphic you are looking at among the examples. The number of different kinds of experiments in NKS Explorer is really astounding.

NKS Explorer is perfect for anyone who is interested in really understanding Wolfram's science. Readers of A New Kind of Science will appreciate the opportunity to see the programs discussed in Wolfram's book come to life. They can experiment with the same programs they are reading about, interactively discovering the insights that lead to the creation of A New Kind of Science. But, NKS Explorer is not just about recreating what is in the book; the forms based interface allows for open ended experimentation. Even advanced researchers will find NKS Explorer a valuable tool for studying new rules and systems beyond the book. I think that NKS Explorer is ideal not only as a companion to A New Kind of Science, but also as a tool for serious research. It is exciting that we have been able to create something that can be appreciated by a whole range of users from the neophyte to the university professor. In the end, I think that anyone who is interested in Wolfram's science will find NKS Explorer to be fascinating and fun; I still surprise myself with some of the things I find.

Andrew de Laix,
Lead Developer, A New Kind of Science Explorer