[Discuss] PLplot and gnuplot

[Alan W. Irwin]

On 2007-03-18 20:04-0800 pw wrote:

> With regards to PLplot, does gnuplot use PLplot API or
> is that something completely different? The reason I ask is
> I was gnuplot with Octave recently.

PLplot and gnuplot are completely different plotting software packages.  In
terms of SourceForge popularity (download rates, etc.), I think it is fair
to say gnuplot is number one in the free scientific plotting category.  But
if you are in the market for a fairly simple scientific plotting API (easily
learned in a few hours) that has been interfaced to many languages on all
the major platforms with many useful plotting device drivers, then you
should give PLplot a try.

I understand you can actually compare PLplot and gnuplot from octave since
octave has been interfaced to both.  However, I have never done that
comparison because I am largely unfamiliar with octave (and gnuplot). (I
mostly use the python interface to PLplot for my plotting needs.)

If you want examples of PLplot use in octave (and many other computer
languages), consult http://plplot.sourceforge.net/examples/index.html. Also,
if you go through the usual cmake, make, and make install sequence for
PLplot, then all the standard examples for all languages (including octave)
are installed in $prefix/share/plplot5.7.2/examples, where $prefix is the
installation prefix.  The plplot-test.sh script there also runs all the
examples in all languages.

Alan
__________________________
Alan W. Irwin

Astronomical research affiliation with Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Victoria (astrowww.phys.uvic.ca).

Programming affiliations with the FreeEOS equation-of-state implementation
for stellar interiors (freeeos.sf.net); PLplot scientific plotting software
package (plplot.org); the Yorick front-end to PLplot (yplot.sf.net); the
Loads of Linux Links project (loll.sf.net); and the Linux Brochure Project
(lbproject.sf.net).
__________________________

Linux-powered Science
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