Re: Function calls (Was: Save a plot to .ps)

[Mike Miller]

On Fri, 4 Jun 1999, David Doolin wrote:

> Compatibility has been very useful for me.  It has allowed me to
> actually *use* octave instead of matlab (long story).

Compatibility is important.  I wouldn't have decided to work with Octave
if it didn't have very MATLABish behavior.


> The point of `free software' is contentious at best.  And matlab, in
> all its gruesome, buggy glory is the metric by which octave will
> _forever_ be judged.  This is a direct result of *choosing* to use
> matlab syntax.

Not necessarily _forever_.  Software products come and go and so do
software companies.  We really don't know where MATLAB will be in 20
years.  But the more easily MATLAB users can move their work to Octave,
the easier it will be for Octave to take market share from MATLAB and
eventually to dominate.  Once you rule, you set the standards.  If you
veer too sharply away from MATLAB at an early stage, it could hurt you.
Someday MATLAB might be remembered as an early precursor to Octave just as
visicalc was to 1-2-3 and 1-2-3 was (some would say) to Excel.


> Anyway good luck.  If my opinion counted, which I know it certainly
> does not, matlab compatibility should be all or nothing.  Half-assing
> it hurts more than helps.

I don't quite agree here.  Optimally, I think you should be very clear
about exactly which features of MATLAB are not supported or are different
in Octave, but I think differences are good if they are improvements.  It
would also help if users could easily convert MATLAB code to Octave.


Regards,

Mike

-- 
Michael B. Miller, M.S., Ph.D., M.P.E.
Department of Psychology
210 McAlester Hall
University of Missouri--Columbia
Columbia, MO 65211
 Phone: (573) 882-5671
   Fax: (573) 882-7710
e-mail: address@hidden
   web: http://taxa.psyc.missouri.edu/~mbmiller/



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