From: Thomas S. <she...@ll...> - 2000-05-10 23:01:50
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>Thought you may like to see this. >Do you know of any other users of the Gist module besides yourself? Everyone who uses Yorick uses the gist package within Yorick, and there are a lot of such people at LLNL and worldwide. Since some major new LLNL production codes will be python based, I predict significant interest in the Python Gist package. Currently, I have heard that Marty Marinak uses the Python Gist package within an LLNL python-based code. I haven't tried to do a survey, so there may well be others. I intend to use it for my work, which would then expose it to my co-workers and collaborators, many of whom already use Yorick with its Gist interface. Gist is a very efficient graphics package, due in part to being written directly to Xlib rather than layered on top of some other interface, and due also to the skill of Gist's author (Dave Munro). (It is also very easy to write additional efficient graphics engines for Gist, as has been done by Steve Langer for windows and macOS.) Gist also has a very well designed interface (both "user friendly" and efficient, an unusual combination) with features that were tailored specifically to the needs of LLNL physicists. In my opinion, it would be a tragedy if Gist were lost. Regarding xfiles.llnl.gov, I am pretty sure that the server is now behind the new LLNL firewall and therefore invisible to the outside world. But it still exists. It would be a good idea to arrange for these packages to be available somewhere where outsiders can get them. > >Lee Taylor > >---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Date: Mon, 8 May 2000 15:33:19 -0700 >From: "L. Busby" <bu...@ic...> >To: jo...@ph... >Cc: mot...@ic..., num...@li... >Subject: Re: [Numpy-discussion] LLNL distribution? > >[ Johann Hibschman <jo...@ph...> asks ] >>Is there still a publically available LLNL distribution of NumPy? >> >>Or, more precisely, now that NumPy has been spun off as a separate >>project, where should I look for updates to the Gist module? Is >>it still available? >> >>xfiles.llnl.gov doesn't seem to be there anymore... > >The older versions of the LLNL distribution, including the Gist module, >continue to be available at ftp-icf.llnl.gov:/pub/python. > >There haven't been any updates to Gist in well over a year. We (Zane >Motteler and I) have zero local customers for it, and a multitude of >other programmatic responsibilities. We realize that it would be nice >simply to dis-entangle Gist from the old distribution and make it >available as a separate Python package, perhaps using Distutils, or >not, or as an RPM, or as an SRPM, or as a Debian package. There is no >time and no support for this activity. If you the reader would like to >undertake the project, you have our blessing. > >_______________________________________________ >Numpy-discussion mailing list >Num...@li... >http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/numpy-discussion Thomas D. Shepard LLNL A Division tds...@ll... 925 423 4018 b111 r627 L-31 |
From: Thomas S. <she...@ll...> - 2000-05-10 23:42:33
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>Hi Thomas; > >I read with interest your message about Gist. I've been using it with >Python on an SGI and a Linux box. Do packages like Ezplot, etc, run on the >Macintosh? > I think the answer to that is no, unless there is a version of Ezplot I don't know about, which is quite possible. Gist provides all the functionality available in Ezplot and, in my opinion, is easier to use than Ezplot (although Ezplot is not difficult either). There are publicly available Yorick versions that run on windows and macs which use Gist with the corresponding graphics engines. I don't know if anyone has made python modules using the windows or mac versions of the Gist graphics engines. If not, I don't think it would be very hard to do. I wonder if the upcoming mac OS X will support Xlib. Does anybody know? PS: Another great feature of Gist I forgot to mention: It produces great-looking publication-quality output directly. The choice of things like tick marks, line thicknesses, fonts, etc. (which is quasi-infinitely customizable) that Gist makes is very good. In contrast, things that other packages I have used do: Use the thinnest possible lines for everything, presumably because they think someone is going to scale data off the plot using a ruler and need to keep it precise. This results in thin lines that don't reproduce well. Insist on writing unrequested text to the plots (think "core dump"). Write some text on top of other text. Thomas D. Shepard LLNL A Division tds...@ll... 925 423 4018 b111 r627 L-31 |
From: Johann H. <jo...@ph...> - 2000-05-10 23:57:00
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Thomas Shepard writes: >> Thought you may like to see this. >> Do you know of any other users of the Gist module besides yourself? > Everyone who uses Yorick uses the gist package within Yorick, and there > are a lot of such people at LLNL and worldwide. Since some major new LLNL > production codes will be python based, I predict significant interest > in the Python Gist package. I do wonder how many users of Yorick there are. I am sure I'm the only one in the Berkeley astronomy department, for example. I will take a look at the Gist source, and see if I can understand it well enough to support it. I haven't used Gist all that much, but I finally found a problem that I couldn't solve with the other graphics packages I know, so I've started using it again. > Regarding xfiles.llnl.gov, I am pretty sure that the server is now > behind the new LLNL firewall and therefore invisible to the outside > world. But it still exists. It would be a good idea to arrange for > these packages to be available somewhere where outsiders can get them. I found LLNLDistribution11 on the ftp-icf site, so I'm set for now. I could look into sourceforge as a distribution site. Then again, I'd like to graduate by December, so I'm likely to be busy on my own projects, stamping down gamma-rays and unruly pair plasmas, without much time for purely programming work. ;-) --Johann -- Johann Hibschman jo...@ph... |
From: Lee T. <ta...@rh...> - 2000-05-11 00:31:00
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On 10 May 2000, Johann Hibschman wrote: > I will take a look at the Gist source, and see if I can understand it > well enough to support it. I haven't used Gist all that much, but I > finally found a problem that I couldn't solve with the other graphics > packages I know, so I've started using it again. > > I found LLNLDistribution11 on the ftp-icf site, so I'm set for now. I > could look into sourceforge as a distribution site. > I believe that the support of Gist is not in question, only the python interface to Gist. The individual (Zane Mottler) who wrote the interface is retiring in 2 months and still has 6 months of work left. That prompted the 'no official support' comment. If there are users here at LLNL (and there are at least a few), I'm sure we could find some support for them. Lee Taylor |