[Problem] Connect to Maxima

wxMaxima (providing the easy-to-use user interface) and Maxima (the program that does the actual mathematics) are separate programs that communicate by the means of a local network connection (LAN).

Symptom

Cannot connect to Maxima.

Suspected diagnosis

The most probable cause is that the local network connection is somehow not working.

For example a firewall could be set up in a way that it doesn’t just prevent unauthorized connections from the internet (and perhaps to intercept some connections to the internet, too), but it also to blocks inter-process-communication inside the same computer. Note that since Maxima is being run by a Lisp processor the process communication that is blocked from does not necessarily have to be named maxima. Common names of the program that opens the network connection would be sbcl, gcl, ccl, lisp.exe or similar names.

On Un*x computers another possible reason would be that the loopback network that provides network connections between two programs in the same computer isn’t properly configured.

Possible cure

Check the firewall and unblock the communication between wxMaxima and Maxima. The default port used for the communication between wxMaxima and Maxima is configurable in the application settings and by default set to be 49152.