From octave-graphics-request at bevo dot che dot wisc dot edu  Tue Feb 22 07:06:39 2000
Subject: Re: New on the list : new plotting tool
From: Teemu Ikonen <tpikonen at pcu dot helsinki dot fi>
To: Tim Piessens <Tim dot Piessens at esat dot kuleuven dot ac dot be>
cc: Discussion list octave-graphics <octave-graphics at bevo dot che dot wisc dot edu>
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 15:06:35 +0200 (EET)

On Tue, 22 Feb 2000, Tim Piessens wrote:

> Since I am new on this list, I'd like to know what's the status on the
> octave-graphics-project. I am a regular octave user and I am getting a
> bit frustrated with the current gnuplot solution. 

Hello Tim, there hase been some discussion on creating improved interfaces
and APIs to plotting programs and even some ideas on how to clone the GUI
functionality in the latest Matlab versions, but I think nobody has
produced anything concrete yet. As to your frustration with gnuplot; I
share it too and I'd love to see a Octave plotting client at least as
comprehensive and easy to use (or preferably easier) than
Matlabs. Unfortunately I don't have enough time to do anything about it.

> I thought about a modular server-client solution where a server stores
> the plot-information in a struct/class. Octave would be a client that
> plots in the server by a series of get/set commands to gain matlab
> compatibility. plotting devices will also be clients. In a first
> implementation this can be a connection to gnuplot but since it is
> modular a new interface (for instance using GNOME) can be made.

Yes, the first thing should probably be the definition of some kind of
plotting api. After that an implementation which uses gnuplot or perhaps 
some other decent and modern plotting tool should be made. You definitely
should not reinvent the wheel and start coding yet another plotting
program yourself. 

There are plenty of free programs for plotting now and more are on the
way, for example Guppi (http://www.gnome.org/guppi/), which atleast looks
promising (modern GUI toolkit, modular plugin-based architecture, language
independent scripting (we could make bindings for octaves
m-language) etc.). 

Uh, I hope someday somebody actually gets something done with
Octaves graphics features instead of just discussing about them in the
mailing list :)

t.