Re: Policy question - to PM3D or not to PM3D?

[<br...@ph...>]

Petr Mikulik wrote:
>> Which is preferable?
>> 
>> (1) Leave the new options dependent on PM3D
>> 
>> (2) Move the data structures and utility routines out of the #ifdef
>> PM3D  brackets, so that the new feature are available even if for
>> some reason you don't want PM3D

> Or even (3): remove all #ifdef PM3D. Now, this functionality is an
> inherent part of gnuplot, so it does not make sense any longer to
> separate its source code pieces visually by #ifdef PM3D ... #endif.

That's not all the #ifdef's are for.  The key purpose of --disable-pm3d
nowadays is to allow people to build a special version of gnuplot
without pm3d, if (they think) they have to, in some special
circumstances.  E.g. if the system is too small to support a full, big
current gnuplot.

I thus object to throwing out the #ifdef's. But I offer yet another option:

(4) add an --enable switch for the new features, and change those
particular #ifdef's from #if PM3D to #if WANT_THESE_ROUTINES,
and enable that define if either PM3D or the new toggle is enabled.

Obviously, this only makes sense if the code in question is only a
relatively small part of the #if PM3D code.