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From: simon@alberta.uucp (Simon Tortike)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Scientific graphing packages
Message-ID: <1989Dec11.165335.6928@alberta.uucp>
Date: 11 Dec 89 16:53:35 GMT
References: <1354@merlin.bhpmrl.oz> <7413@cbnewsm.ATT.COM>
Sender: news@alberta.uucp (News Administrator)
Reply-To: simon@alberta.UUCP (Simon Tortike)
Organization: Petroleum Engg, U of Alberta
Lines: 42

In article <7413@cbnewsm.ATT.COM> wtj@cbnewsm.ATT.COM (william.t.jones,rd,) writes:
>>Does anyone have any recommendations for scientific graphing packages??
>>
>>I am currently using Cricket Graph, but it is starting to show it's age
>>*badly*  !! :-(
>
>I can recommend KaleidaGraph 2.0 from Synergy Software (215-779-0522).


We are very satisfied with Igor by Wavemetrics, especially since the release of
v 1.1.  It has many plotting variations, although it is not suitable for
general business-type graphing (INMO).  Its scientific and engineering plotting
capabilities rival TeleGraph's,  excelling it in some respects. It does not
support plotters on its own, but it offers many levels of smoothing, line
thicknesses (one can specify fractions of a point) and REAL dotted and dashed
lines, which make the LaserWriter output publication-ready, unlike Cricket
Graph's output.  Text support is also good, with sub- and superscripts,
automatic legend generation (in v1.1), and the ability to attach text to a
point with an arrow.  It also has powerful data analysis options, the author
seems to have implemented all the special functions in Numerical Recipes in C.
The other big plus is the generation of scripts, which is all automatic but can
also be made or edited by hand.  The same analysis can easily be applied to
many sets of data simply by choosing a macro name, after the first set has been
analysed.  Furthermore, graph updating is _very_ fast.  In short, this is the
most powerful scientific graphing package I have yet seen on a micro.

A caveat: Igor does not have the most intuitive user interface, a strong point
with, say, Cricket Graph.  The neophyte will have to do the examples in the
book first, then start working on his/her own data. It is more important than
ever to RTFM.  A note about the macros: they are really powerful.  It is the
first general package I saw doing ternary diagrams, or loading annotations for
points with the raw data.  A big plus is that it can load Cricket Graph data
files directly.  In fact, the author has included interfaces so that one can
program one's own functions and call them from within the program.

These comments are extremely biased because I am a very satisfied user of Igor.
-------------------
W. Simon Tortike,                         | tel    : 403/492-3338
Dept of Mining, Metallurgical             | fax    : 403/492-7219
      and Petroleum Engineering,          | CDNnet : simon@cs.UAlberta.CA
University of Alberta,                    | uucp   : simon@alberta.uucp
Edmonton, AB, CANADA T6G 2G6.             |