Re: Should gnuplot become a programming environment?

[Philipp K. J. <ja...@ie...>]

[snip]

> That said, being able to add functions opens up huge possibilities
> that avoids needing to pre-process data for trivial things like diff
> and integration and other simple needs. Bulk data processing is still
> better done outside of the plotting utility in tested code suites in
> compiled code but this remains an incredibly useful feature.

With huge possibilities come huge complexities.
If not today, then eventually.

Do we want them in gnuplot? Or should we keep
scripting with scripting languages and plotting
with gnuplot?

Do we want differentiation and integration -
in a PLOTTING program??? My answer is: hell, no!

Keep the numerical routines in Python or Octave
or wherever. Let's keep the plotting stuff in
gnuplot.

> 
> I don't think there is a need to view this as 'taking on" other 
> languages or "loosing" to them. If I had a scripting task to do I

I am not arguing from a developer's point of view, 
but from a user's one.

Gnuplot's advantage over R or matlab was it's simplicity:
just plot a file - all there is to it. Once this simplicity
is gone, what is gnuplot's advantage (or niche)? 

> would use an existing tool not a plotting program, but if I need
> manipulate or tweak  some data I'm plotting, having that ability
> built-in is has a lot of merit. Documentation and archiving being a
> key argument: all is in one file.

[snip]