Re: xmgrace

[Martin Sevior <msevior physics unimelb edu au>]

On Tue, 6 Jul 2004, Allin Cottrell wrote:

> 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.

Despite it's name, gnuplot is not GPL licsensed. It cannot be directly
linked to gnumeric.

> 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.

That's OK as long as gnuplot is a seperate process I think.

However this is similar to what gnumeric gnumeric used to do with the
GUPPI bonobo component which the Gnumeric team decided was the best way to
do things.


Cheers

Martin

> Allin Cottrell.
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