Related work
Mimetex (http://www.forkosh.com/mimetex.html) is a fairly simple C program that implements an approximation to a subset of LaTeX syntax and TeX mathematical typography. It can be readily deployed on a web server to provide safe, reliable, efficient translation of mathematics into PNG bitmap graphics. Mimetex, in its external interface, is a close approximation to the deliverable this project will provide.
AsciiMath (http://www1.chapman.edu/~jipsen/mathml/asciimathdemo.html) depends on the browser having MathML capabilities. It translates a LaTeX-like syntax to MathML, which is then passed to the browser for rendering. It provides a very nice stand-alone instant preview environment. AsciiMath is written in JavaScript.
MathPlayer (http://www.dessci.com/en/products/mathplayer/) is a freely available (but not open source) MathML plugin for Internet Explorer. It allows IE to run AsciiMath. It is from DesignScience, who also sell the MathType plugin for Microsoft Word.
JsMath (http://www.math.union.edu/~dpvc/jsMath/) is in broad terms similar to AsciiMath. However, instead of relying on the browser having MathML support, it implements in JavaScript a fairly good approximation to TeX’s mathematical typography algorithms. It also implements an approximation to the LaTeX syntax.