Re: gnuplot

[David Doolin]

In message <address@hidden>, Daniel Heiserer writes:
>Hi,
>why does octave not come WITH the latest version of gnuplot?
>We wouldn't need so many parameters than.

The license allows redistribution of the binaries.  I will 
myself be distributing the win32 version on a project page.

>
>Is it gnuplot's license?
>It is still not GPL, but it changed quite a bit in the last time.
>The main thing I could figure out is, that you are allowed
>to change the code, but you are only allowed to redistribute
>it with patches, not modified.
>
>Maybe we could start a request-ATTACK to gnuplot's copyright holders
>to switch to GPL?

Yes, this would be of HUGE benefit to gnuplot itself.  However, 
it seems that the _original_ developers are anti-GPL.  This is 
a real pity, but clones are appearing (albeit slowly).   

At any rate, I contacted the gnuplot folks about six months ago
about this very issue.  The reply I received was very polite, 
but indicated that there was small, but insurmountable objection
to GPL within the gnuplot community.  The more people that 
contact them the better, but please be polite!  Remind them that 
going GPL gets them libreadline and libhistory, which are
*desperetely* needed (at least by me!).

One way to approach it is too simply ignore gnuplot altogether
and ask other plotting program (GPL program) developers provide hooks for 
octave to call them with.  Guppi, Genius, or gtkdatabox are candidates.
IBM just open sourced a data visualization tool also.   

IMHO, gnuplot is ultimately doomed without either going GPL or
commercial.   

Good luck.  Report back.

Dave D


>
>Probably would be of a great benefit for both.
>
>-- 
>Mit freundlichen Gruessen
>                                 Daniel Heiserer
>-----
>--------------------------------------------------------------
>Dipl.-Phys. Daniel Heiserer, BMW AG, Knorrstrasse 147, 80788 Muenchen
>Abteilung EK-20
>Tel.: 089-382-21187, Fax.: 089-382-42820
>mailto:address@hidden
>
>
>
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