Re: goals for 3.1

[Joseph C. Slater PE, PhD]

On Nov 13, 2007, at 2:11 PM, John W. Eaton wrote:

> I'd like to have a fairly small list of key goals for 3.1 so that we
> can make another release 6 months or so after 3.0.  Here's my current
> list:
>
> <snip>
>
>  * Eliminate __gnuplot_X__ functions from Octave
> <snip>
>
> Comments or suggestions?

Is there a tangible benefit to doing this? These commands provide a  
low-level control that seems to be disappearing with the race to  
Matlab compatibility. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the existence of  
this level of control is a plus. Matlab doesn't generate publication- 
quality graphics. Not easily, and putting in real labels using latex  
expressions is still significantly lacking. Octave/gnuplot allows this  
easily enough, through the ability to specify fonts, include equations  
(in latex), control the size of the graphic very well. Through  
metapost output, tweaking the parameters is available (not as easy  
with an eps or PDF output). Will this functionality disappear in the  
future?

Joe