Re: Handle graphics plotting functions

> handle graphics
> ===========
> I see handle graphics as way for the user to gain total control of the
> plot. This allows for tweaking which is so often needed when making a
> formal plot (i.e. for a paper/presentation) and for inventing whole
> new kinds of graphs and building them using the primitive building
> blocks available. Both these features are missing in gnuplot. While
> doing it the "handle-graphics" way might not be the best way to do it,
> it is the current de-facto standard (==matlab).

Those features are not missing in gnuplot, but in Octave! As your page
    http://octplot.sourceforge.net/plotFunctionAnalogy.html

demonstrates, the filled bar graph is available in gnuplot 4.0
    http://gnuplot.sourceforge.net/demo/fillstyle.html

-- please fix your web page which mentioned 4.1 -- but Octave (bar.m) just 
does not use it.

There are several gnuplot'ish .m files getting or improving compatibility 
with Matlab, e.g. ginput.m, image.m using gnuplot, etc., which are neither 
in Octave nor in Octave-Forge. Nobody cares (enough).
Hint: http://gnuplot.sourceforge.net/links.html

IMHO, instead of developing a new graphics package from scratch (or even 
several of them), which takes a lot of time and effort, the best way is to 
update the current Octave image subsystem properly for all gnuplot 4.0 
features. That would be available immediately!

Isn't here somebody who would do the job?

Note: This letter isn't against any "handle graphics" subsystems or 
whichever future may come, but wants to show that we can get more M* 
compatibility immediately.

PS: Everywhere on http://octplot.sourceforge.net/, please change "GnuPlot" 
to "gnuplot".

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PM