Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl
Path: watmath!watserv2.uwaterloo.ca!mach1!torn!uunet.ca!geac!itcyyz!yrloc!rbe
From: rbe@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM (Robert Bernecky)
Subject: Re: J and graphics
Message-ID: <1993Apr14.155350.10183@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM>
Reply-To: rbe@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM (Robert Bernecky)
Organization: SNake Island Research Inc, Toronto
References: <1993Apr12.155812.27476@csi.jpl.nasa.gov>
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 93 15:53:50 GMT

In article <1993Apr12.155812.27476@csi.jpl.nasa.gov> sam@csi.jpl.nasa.gov (Sam Sirlin) writes:
>I'm replying here to mail from Peter deVoil. Since his mail bounces
>(both to zeus and helios), and it's possibly of general interest:
>
>I once tried gnuplot and didn't think much of it (seemed to complex to
>use for what it did), but perhaps it has gotten better.  My routines,
>while simple to use, don't do nearly as much as Matlab or Mathematica.
>Hence the idea of making an interface with a good pd graphics package
>has always appealed to me. But what I have works and I also don't have
>that much time... Have you used gnuplot? Do you think it's worth some
>effort to interface with J?

I used gnuplot last week for the first time, and was VERY impressed
(positively). Now, let me explain why: I had just spent THREE DAYS trying to
make Quattro Pro and Corel Chart plot 4 lousy curves, with NO luck.
I finally gave up on them (after writing tirades to both vendors),
and then proceeded to learn gnuplot to produce the precise graph I wanted
, all within about 30 minutes! 

It all shows to go you that when you put a fancy GUI interface on 
a lousy design, you STILL have a lousy design. 

gnuplot may not be all-singing-all-dancing, but it does what it does
quite well. A J interface would be trivial.
Bob


Robert Bernecky      rbe@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.com  bernecky@itrchq.itrc.on.ca 
Snake Island Research Inc  (416) 368-6944   FAX: (416) 360-4694 
18 Fifth Street, Ward's Island
Toronto, Ontario M5J 2B9 
Canada
