@HedgeMage @PaloEbermann @ThomasPornin Given the fairly strong support for MathJax on this meta question: meta.crypto.stackexchange.com/questions/8/do-we-need-mathjax is it worth at some point having a discussion about the options. I realise @Dori has pointed out the maintenance burden - I'm a dev by day so I understand the issue.

@Ninefingers How many questions are there that need it? I assume it's more than the two linked in the discussion.

@Dori The question would be: how many answers would be better if they had this? I'll take a look tomorrow and can give you detailed statistics, if you want. (Not now, should have gone to sleep some hours ago.)

@Dori well, this one: crypto.stackexchange.com/questions/388/… (my fault there). This one: crypto.stackexchange.com/questions/360/… this one might be better if it had it: crypto.stackexchange.com/questions/228/…

@PaŭloEbermann It's not so much that I need it, but that's the first thing Jeff will want to know—so y'all should include them in the request.

There's a growing number of questions that are working around not having MathJax I think. I almost posted to MSO to solicit comments on the idea of a preference or switch that optionally turns it on, but I didn't think that would be a popular idea...

Kind of surprised to not see anyone using images of rendered text as an alternative.

I thought about it, but to render all the little bits... if you write a lot in tex, that would become frustrating, although it does work for the odd formula. I think Thomas uses html markup even.

Looks like we don't actually need a full set of math markup, but some single formula parts are needed: exponentation (a^b), arrows, symbols like ℤ and ℕ.

@Ninefingers Not that hard: go to any question on math.se, paste in the mathjax bit, and then take a screenshot of the preview.

True, a fair point.

Exponents can be done with <sup> and <sub>

I'm not saying no (far from it!), just letting you know the kind of questions that Jeff/devs will ask so you'll be prepped.

Most parts can be done (and Thomas' posts show it), but this is cumbersome. Typing a<sup>b</sup> takes longer (and is more error-prone). ℤ and ℕ I can copy from Wikipeda (or I could make some browser shortcut), but it would be easier directly.

Taking a screenshot takes some time, too :-/

Yep, cool, thanks. Ok so I guess the next step is to edit the mathjax request meta q with a pile of questions that either need or would benefit from mathjax, including your suggestions, add a featured to it then shout again and say "Jeff, we want this please?"

fwiw, dsp.se (now in private beta) has mathjax.

That's interesting. Ok, well, like Paulo I should really have been asleep some time ago, so I'm going to wander and will create a new question in the morning if nobody has done it by then.

@Ninefingers +1. Good night!

Started the ball rolling on that one.

@Ninefingers Thanks!

Hi @PaloEbermann and @ThomasPornin; I edited crypto.stackexchange.com/q/544/46 to improve the grammar and overall sense of the question (I think the poster's native language is not English, so I felt a bit of help might be due) and I edited crypto.stackexchange.com/questions/394/… for the same reason, and asked if there were any more details he could provide, because I think a little more detail might help.

If either of you think my edits/comment are too far, feel free to undo them :)

@Ninefingers I just edited the other answer of him/her.

Ok I see, I missed that one.

No problem, otherwise we would have an edit conflict :-)

I'm never fast enough to get them in on Stack Overflow... happens all the time!