Hi,
I didn't want to do this publicly, but since PTC has removed (or at least, very well hidden) the private message option on this forum, I don't know how to share this with only the people who asked anymore...
Here is a very basic evaluation file for Maple (v18). It doesn't do much, just shows some of the existing features, the ones that I personally would use the most, or find useful of fun. It is not meant to be exhaustive, far from it. I also haven't done the "import" section, because I am a bit lazy ( ) and it is not a feature I use much.
If anyone has questions, please ask. I don't mind adding a few bits on the document to show capabilities, but I won't spend hours on it...
There is a free viewer on Maplesoft's website : Free Maple Player - Maplesoft . I haven't tried it, so I have no idea what it does . For people who don't want to install it, I printed the file as PDF, it doesn't look as good (especially the graph section), but it does the job.
Personally, I have made my opinion. I am stuck with Mathcad for as long as I work for my current company, but if/when I change job, I will surely advocate in favor of Maple. Not only because I find it better in many ways (There are a few points I would like to see improved, but none of them are critical), but overall, it looks like a great product. It is a bit more expensive, but I think it is worth it. I haven't looked for criticism from the users on the forums, but I doubt that there are as many complaints as for Mathcad Prime. And although I don't use the API, the whole debate about highlighted a side of PTC's attitude towards their customers that I really don't agree with : it is that straw that breaks the camel's back, and I would really want to have as little to do with PTC as possible in the future. Even if I have to pay extra for that.
And just to reassure people: Maplesoft has chosen a client/server architecture: if they ever decided to completely change the user interface, the core is independent, and there probably wouldn't be any functionality loss...