That holds true as much as ever. The same is true for equation solving, calculus, matrix algebra and the like. We bring this topic up because with the launch of the new Mathcad 8 Professional, the basic reason why it has become one of the most popular technical software programs in history can easily be obscured. Mathcad is all about being able to get equations into a PC document and have them solved automatically . It's so good at its job that there's never really been any competition.
Many people make a very good job of using spreadsheets to do engineering calculations.
The spreadsheet is a tool which many engineers find on their PC as standard, and it's tempting to try to make use of it in applications it was never really designed for, simply because it's there. Which, of course, is why many other people still use the back of an envelope to do engineering calculations. Of course not. There must be a better way, and Mathcad is it. As its very basic premise, it allows you to enter equations as easily as you'd write them on paper, and it goes on to do calculations with them like a spreadsheet.