Re: xmgrace

[Allin Cottrell <cottrell wfu edu>]

On Mon, 5 Jul 2004, Alan G Isaac wrote:

> On Sun, 04 Jul 2004, Andrzej Grzegorcyzk apparently wrote:
> > Is it not better just to make simple plugin to
> > gnumeric which can send data xmgrace  and the rest of problem live for
> > xmgrace team.
>
> I am another user sympathetic to this argument, although I
> would prefer to see gnuplot used.  (A number of applications
> already use gnuplot this way successfully, because it is
> built to facilitate this.  One example: the gretl
> econometric package, which includes gnuplot.)

I'll put in my twopence-worth on this.  I'm a gnumeric fan, but I have 
to agree with Andrzej's point that gnumeric's graphing capacities are 
quite primitive.  And the response, that if we just wait a little 
these capacities will be terrific, without any need for third-party 
plugins, has worn thin over the several years I've heard it made.

However, I tend to agree with Alan, that if the gnumeric developers 
were to consider linking to a third-party graphing engine they'd be 
better off considering gnuplot.  This is on the grounds that (a) 
gnuplot is "standard equipment" on most GNU/Linux platforms, where 
gnumeric is most likely to be found, while (b) xmgrace depends (as I 
understand) on the Motif libraries, which are antiquated and not 
standard equipment on GNU/Linux.

Alan refers to gretl's use of gnuplot.  The code that supports that is 
under the GPL, so anyone who wanted to adapt it for use with gnumeric 
would be welcome to do so.  (Gretl -- my baby -- sends data to gnuplot 
and gets it to produce a PNG file, which it then displays in a GTK 
window.)  I'd offer to do so myself, but developing gretl doesn't 
leave much time for other free software endeavors.

Allin Cottrell.