From owner-help-octave at bevo dot che dot wisc dot edu  Thu Feb  6 18:53:04 1997
Subject: Re: Compatibilitie Matlab - Octave
From: Ted dot Harding at nessie dot mcc dot ac dot uk (Ted Harding)
To: durana at mercurio dot uc dot pt (Cristina Durana C. de Sa Moita)
Cc: help-octave at bevo dot che dot wisc dot edu
Date: Fri, 7 Feb 1997 00:48:17 +0000 (GMT)

( Re Message From: Cristina Durana C. de Sa Moita )
> 
> In my work, i need to have
> "Graphic User Interface", just
> like menus, sub-menus, write text in windows
> in Graphics Mode, bottons,...
> In Matlab for Windows i have my
> work 100% good but in Octave
> it doesn't work at all.
> 
> I need more information about Octave.
> Thanks in advanced.
> Crist       Durana

At present octave concentrates on obtaining results from commands executed
from the command line or m-files; results can be displayed graphically,
and text can be placed on the graphs, by commands.

It would be feasible to write command files to implement menus and
sub-menus (though mouse-clicking would not work directly unless the
menus were implemented via something like Tcl/Tk run as a sub-process from
octave). I doubt, however, if many feel the need for this.

Mouse interaction with octave graphics is ay present impossible (provided
gnuplot is used for the display). Therefore text cannot be placed, nor can
points be selected, using the mouse (this in my view is a very desirable
feature to add to octave, but it depends on developing a different
graphical interface: this would be a good thing anyway, since octave
graphics, though effective enough within their capabilities, are on the
unsophisticated side).

Other than that, octave and Matlab are rather closely compatible, and
certain aspects of octave are possibly improvements on Matlab (one I
much value being the ability to define functions from the command line or
within script files, so that all the function definitions for one special
job can be kept in a single file).

However, if your ability to execute your work will be severely disturbed
by the lack of Windows-style point-&-click, then possible octave will not
suit you. You should however ask yourself whether you /really/ need this
capability.

Ted.                                    (Ted dot Harding at nessie dot mcc dot ac dot uk)