Mimetex

I've wanted to be able to use LaTeX with Mediawiki for several years now, but because I'm on a shared host this hasn't been an option. Well, I found a work around which was quite easy to install, and gives me what I want with regards to MathML expressions. Example:

$f(x)=\int_{-\infty}^xe^{-t^2}dt$

I first downloaded and installed mimetex.cgi which kindly included precompiled linux binaries. Next, I tested to see if it was working ok, by entering in this URL:

It worked great on the first try. The last thing I had to do was install a Mediawiki extension. This extension was very easy to install and well documented.

Recently the author of forkosh.com disallowed third party servers from using his cgi to render images. This is a shame, because often the easier way to insert a formula is to figure out a mimetex URL. However, I figure if enough small hosts allow people to link to their cgi, then it shouldn't become a burden for anyone person. So until my host gets to overloaded, people are welcome to theeggeadventure as their free mimetex server.

Aug 2009

Many people have discovered the mimetex engine I'm running, and I'm currently serving up a few thousand requests a month. It's a pretty easy way to embed an equation in your blog, especially if you don't have control over your server.

Now that I have my own VPS, it was easy to install the MathML mediawiki plugin.

$\mbox{WR} = \sum_{i=1}^{n} \frac{H_i - H_{(i-1)}}{N_{i-1}} \times \frac{N_{(i-1)}}{N_0}$