On Thu, 2004-10-14 at 19:38, Daniel Lakeland wrote:
> It seems a bit heavyweight, but has anyone considered using R for
> plotting from maxima?
I have considered it. The last talk I gave contained one plot generated
with R. R is rather large to be the only plotting option for Maxima, but
I would definitely be interested in seeing an optional plotting package
using R.
> I agree with the comments in the archives about how gnuplot has a poor
> interface and yet is sort of "the least evil" option, at least if you
> talk about plotting-only programs.
>
> however, it occurred to me that leveraging the R language and the R
> user community (large and active!) as at least one option for plotting
> would be fantastic. They have done a very nice job of producing
> graphical routines for R, and the lattice/grid system allows you to
> write your own plotting routines with all sorts of customizations
> rather easily. Talking to R by dumping data files and sending commands
> down a pipe to the interpreter is certainly not less klugey than doing
> the same for gnuplot, but R is actively being developed and would be a
> fantastic coupling.
Someone out there is working on a complete UFFI-based Common Lisp to R.
(Search the archives of comp.lang.lisp. If you can't find it, please
ask.) Integrating that with Maxima would be *very* interesting to me.
> http://www.r-project.org for those who don't know about R.
>
> I have considerable experience with R plotting, and have done a fair
> amount of common lisp coding (though not in the last 2 years), so if
> someone wants to take me under their wing a little and give me hints
> of where to start, I'd be happy to do a proof of concept maxima
> package that does 2D plotting.
Take a look at plot.lisp. It isn't pretty, but it isn't terribly
complicated. Ask questions on the list when you get confused.
--Jim