Re: [Plplot-devel] Configuration defaults

[Joao C. <jc...@fe...>]

On Saturday 01 March 2003 09:22, Rafael Laboissiere wrote:
> * Joao Cardoso <jc...@fe...> [2003-03-01 03:30]:
> > [snip]
> >
> > If the user wants to use those techniques he will ponder and rebuild
> > plplot. So, making float the default is not that bad. With a proper
> > Announcement, users will be warned from the very beginning and will
> > configure accordingly.  (But with a proper Announcement we could also=
 say
> > that doubles are now the default.)
> >
> > Given all the above, I still think that doubles should be the default=
=2E
>
> I am pretty convinced by your arguments.  I thought that it would be
> straightforward (and acceptable) to cast back and forth all the data
> processed with nn/csa.

To be accurate, it is straightforward, as data structures have to be fill=
ed=20
forth and back, but I don't think that's acceptable if the user specified=
=20
with-float at configure time.
Another example where memory is importante is in plimage(), that works=20
internally with shorts and chars!

> > Pity we are not MS. We could make "configure" to send us the configur=
e
> > summary so we would collect statistics ;-)
>
> Well, you can always implement this and this would work for non-MS syst=
ems
> too.  Of course, we should not play the Insidious PLplot Big Brother, b=
ut
> letting users to choose if they wish to send the informations or not.=20

That was what I meant.
And on what service would you rely? sendmail? With most desktop users rel=
ying=20
in they mail-reader ability to send and receive mail directly from their=20
organization mailer, I think that sendmail is not correctly setup on most=
=20
systems.

> There is a package in Debian, called popularity-contest, that sends
> regularly reports about what is installed in the system to a specific e=
mail
> address. We are using this to collect statistics.
>
> Another possibility would be to make a pool at our website.

That approach relies on a positive action, deliberately filling a form, a=
nd as=20
such it would undersample our users universe; on the contrary, asking at =
the=20
end of configure "send ... yes/no?" only requires a keypress.