Re: [Plplot-devel] Preparation for the next release

[Alan W. I. <ir...@be...>]

Rafael wrote earlier:
>
> There are three new developments that I would like to see in 5.3.1 (but
> would not really care if they make their way only into 5.3.2, or 5.4.0):
>
>   1) Finish the Perldl examples.  I estimate that I have completed around
>      70% of this work.  I am also contributing changes to the upstream code
>      of PerlDL, hoping that there will be a new release of PerlDL soon.
>
>   2) Integration of Thomas Duck's gcw driver and plplotcanvas widget.  I
>      still do not know how to conciliate this with my old gnome driver.
>      There is a possibility of keeping both for a while.  Thomas' code has
>      already release-quality and the bulk of the work here would be the
>      integration into our configuration system.
>
>   3) Build the info documentation using the new usptream docbook2X package,
>      which is available in Debian unstable (and hopefully soon in testing,
>      as I have helped to fix some release critical bugs in this package, see
>      http://bjorn.haxx.se/debian/testing.pl?package=docbook2x).
>
> If you have other release goals, please post here.
>

On 2004-04-26 08:32+0100 Andrew Ross wrote:

> I have one more release goal.
>
> 4) Decide on examples for the new plvect functions. Adding language
> bindings and examples for languages other than C / C++ / fortran. Alan
> volunteered to help me with this some time ago.

I think this is an important goal, and I am willing to help, but finding the
time is a problem at the moment for me since I am trying to finish off two
equation of state (EOS) research projects which are time-consuming of
themselves and also involve the required PLplot change (5) below.

5) Add API variations (not backwards incompatible API changes) for plot3d
and friends to allow the user to specify non-rectangular limits to the x-y
plane that are plotted. My EOS is only valid in a non-rectangular region of
the density-temperature plane so that is why this functionality has been on
my wish list for such a long time.  It's at the limit of my C skills so that
is why I have put it off so long, but now I really need it so it is suddenly
my top PLplot priority.

BTW, this effort is obviously not release critical, and I will be working on
it privately, but if I am finished with it before the release date, I will
put it in CVS HEAD, and let the rest of you decide whether you want this
extension to our present functionality to go into this release or not.

Alan
__________________________
Alan W. Irwin
email: ir...@be...
phone: 250-727-2902

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

Programming affiliations with the 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).
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