Re: Colors in plots and legend position

[Timothee Lecomte]

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005, Quentin Spencer wrote:

> John W. Eaton wrote:
>
> > I recently noticed the following in the NEWS file for gnuplot (from
> > the CVS archive):
> >
> >   News, changes and fixes since gnuplot version 4.0
> >   =================================================
> >   [...]
> >   * NEW 3D plots can read RGB color triples as part of input data
> >   * NEW linetype colors via "lt {palette {frac <val> | cb <val>}}"
> >   * NEW linetype colors via "lt {rgbcolor {"name" | "#RRGGBB"}}"
> >   * NEW palette and rgb linetype colors apply to all 2D and 3D plot
> >   elements
> >
> > jwe
>
> These features sound great. We've been hearing for a while about things in 
> "gnuplot 4.1", but there's still no actual release. Are there any gnuplot 
> developers who read this list? Can a release be expected any time soon? Some 
> of these features are really needed to improve octave's graphics, but most 
> users aren't willing to download CVS to get them, and I don't think it makes 
> sense to start rewriting octave's plot interface to use them until a release 
> exists.
>
> -Quentin

I am in contact with the developper team since some months, as I work on 
a new gnuplot interactive terminal (like X11) based on wxwidgets, 
cross-platform and more user-friendly. I recently asked to the gnuplot 
mailing list if a release was planned, as the cvs contains many 
interesting improvement, that will undoubtly interest non-cvs users.

H.B. Broeker answered the following :

" I think it's way too early for that.  Worse yet, I'd have to be the 
one
to do it, and I don't see where I could steal the time for that right
now.  Last time took about us 6 weeks of preparation, the last two of
them nearly full-time on my end of things.  People have got used to a
"release early --- release often" strategy.  Sorry, but with the
licensing issues as they are, that's a non-option for gnuplot.

That set aside, I don't think the code currently has the level of
maturity people rightfully expect from a release version of gnuplot.
There's way too much on-going activity on the 'adding features' front
for that.  We have to let the dust settle a bit before a release can be
considered in earnest.

The most we could usefully do right now is a general review of open
patches and feature requests (...)"


As you can see, he's not really in favor of a release... However, I 
believe that if octave developpers can write to the list to explain 
that they would love to have the new features in a stable release in the next 
weeks/months, gnuplot developpers will be able to find a solution !

There are two problems in his opinion : the current license that implies 
that original developpers give their agreement to the release, and a 
lack of time from him. I'm sure that there can be workaround. It may be 
time to ask for a change in the license, to make it more 
developper-frindly. Then, there are other active developpers which can 
help to the release...

So, my opinion is that gnuplot has more than ever a bright future, and 
octave developpers and users have a role to play in it, at least by 
asking for a release (and of course say thanks for all the work already 
done !).

Regards,

Timothée Lecomte



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