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This volume uses several computer algebra systems to ``activate" the papers, but principally uses Maple. There are several reasons for this, but the main one is that the CECM is a ``Maple shop". Most of us have used Maple for many years, and the Maple expertise locally available is by any standard considerable, with Michael Monagan (one of the Maple designers), Greg Fee, Simon Plouffe, and Rob Corless present and helping. Simon Fraser University has had Maple in its mathematics courses for many years, so there was a considerable level of background Maple ability in the grad students, post-docs, and faculty associated with the project as well.

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That said, the Organic Mathematics Project is not limited to Maple, using Pari, GAP, Mathematica, and AXIOM, as well. Simon Plouffe has the most expertise with Pari of the people at the CECM, but one of our invited authors (Henri Cohen) is one of the principal designers of Pari. Stan Wagon is known for his Mathematica expertise, and Stan Devitt is a prime mover at Waterloo Maple Inc.
The main use of computer algebra in these papers is to enliven the examples. Many of the papers discuss algorithms, and it is reasonable to present the reader with an already-implemented version of the algorithm, both so that the reader may test the claims of the paper and so that the algorithm/code can be used by the reader in their own work.

Dave Fayegh had written a system that allows people to use Maple on our server from a remote site while reading one or more of these papers. This Maple Form Interface, though in its infancy, has proved already to be a valuable tool for mathematical exposition. If you try out some of the examples, we are sure you will agree. We note that there are similar form interfaces for other computer algebra systems, notably Mathematica, and that this is an idea whose time has come. We believe that our Maple Form Interface is currently the best available, and we also believe that it is the most highly-developed from the point of view of serious use. The examples and algorithms displayed in the Maple annotation system (which uses the form interface) have been carefully chosen to make a difference in the understanding of the reader, not just in an attempt to impress the onlookers. (It is ironic that many of the least flashy parts of the /proceedings were the most difficult to provide.)



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