Re: [Plplot-general] cygwin port, pdl and plplot

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

On 2005-10-25 17:57+0200 Bruno Picard wrote:

> Hi!
> 
> This is my first post to this list. I've seen that this topic was already
> tackled but I would need
> additionnal information: sorry if this topic is out of subject or the
> topic is closed...
> 
> I'm currently trying to install plplot on cygwin in order to use it in
> perl/pdl script. I've seen this
> message of plplot list on this topic:
> 
>  > hello,
>  > 
>  > i would like to install the PLplot library v.5.3.0 on a WindowsXP
>  > machine, so to use it with Perl-PDL.
>  > i tried following the instructions in INSTALL.txt, so I downloaded the
>  > free  MSVisual C++ toolbox 2003 and started compiling.
>  > i found there were some errors in the makefile, but I was able to go on.
> i didn't see any install.txt nor any instruction about msvisual so i
> didn't understand the answer:
> 
>  Well, I have never used PLplot with Perl on Windows, but I can assure
>  you that the C, Fortran, Tcl and Java versions work alright. 
>  (FYI: I maintain the Windows driver)

Hi Bruno:

To clear up one thing that is confusing you, we have several different
Windows platforms.  There is the Cygwin platform, the MinGW platform, and
the raw Windows platform.  The first two are actually unix based so you can
build PLplot with the normal Unix methods which most of our developers are
familiar with. The raw platform is built following the specific rules in
sys/win32/msdev/INSTALL.TXT.  I think it is fair to say that the raw
platform is more mature than the Cygwin or MinGW platforms, but you need to
buy a compiler to use the raw platform and development of that platform is
slow because only one of our developers (Arjen) is familiar with that
platform. The Cygwin and MinGW platforms are quickly maturing.  For example,
we have just got shared libraries to work on them for the CVS version of
PLplot.

The previous PDL-oriented message was about the prospects for a PDL PLplot
interface on the raw windows platform, but I don't think anybody got it to
work there. Also, I think you are the first to try PDL with Cygwin, but
since that is a Unix system I would encourage you to continue with your
efforts since there is a lot of Unix expertise on this list.  Also, our one
developer (Rafael) who is familiar with Perl/PDL is more comfortable with
Unix than windows.

> 
> Currently, Ii've succeed in installing plplot 5.5.3 but i can't pass the
> "perl Makefile.PL;make;make test;make install" steps : (.
> Actually I even don't know if I'm doint it in the good way...

Advice to every Unix user (including Bruno).

"./configure --help" is your friend.  The results of that command often help
to guide you through the large number of different ./configure options
(although often the default value of any option is the best choice). Also,
if that command doesn't help you, please give the specifics of your problem
to the list.  Here is how: save complete results in output files as in
"./configure --various_options >& configure.out", "make >& make.out", "make
install >& make_install.out", and send those *.out results to the list.

Good luck, Bruno, with sorting out how to build and use the Perl/PDL
interface to PLplot on Cygwin.  I am sure it can be done, but you are the
pioneer for that specific Unix platform.

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 FreeEOS equation-of-state implementation
for stellar interiors (freeeos.sf.net); 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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Linux-powered Science
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