From octave-graphics-request at bevo dot che dot wisc dot edu  Thu Feb 24 09:31:41 2000
Subject: Re: New on the list : new plotting tool
From: Stephen Eglen <stephen at cogsci dot ed dot ac dot uk>
To: Teemu Ikonen <tpikonen at pcu dot helsinki dot fi>
Cc: "John W. Eaton" <jwe at bevo dot che dot wisc dot edu>,         Tim Piessens <Tim.Piessens@esat.kuleuven.ac.be>,         Discussion list octave-graphics <octave-graphics@bevo.che.wisc.edu>
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 15:31:35 +0000 (GMT)


 > Now I haven't looked at the Octave source code for plotting, but everytime
 > I tried to use Octave for any nontrivial plotting I ended up using obscure
 > gplot commands and eventually starting matlab to get some work done.

Can I just ask why you find gplot commands obscure?  I for one have
never found it difficult to plot things from within Octave.  However,
I guess that is because previously I had used gnuplot for several
years, and like it a lot as a simple but flexible plotting tool.
Maybe yours and others frustration comes from the fact that you hadn't
previously used gnuplot, and probably had also got used to using
matlab for plottting things.

A lot of the octave plotting queries I see on the octave-help list are
not to do with the limitations of the current interface (and there are
some, but I think there are usually workarounds), but more so an
ignorance of what gnuplot can do.  I would highly recommend that
people get to know what gnuplot can do by studying its documentation.
I for one would be happy also to give people pointers to further
information about gnuplot if they get stuck.  For starters, look at
the new gnuplot faq:

http://www-ihe.etec.uni-karlsruhe.de/mitarbeiter/vonhagen/gnuplot-faq.html

cheers, stephen