[Matrix-SIG] Re: Python Data Analysis and Plotting

[Joseph J. Strout]

At 7:43 AM -0700 04/06/99, Anthony L. Wilson wrote:

>Piddle
>-----
>Piddle, developed by Joe Strout ( http://www.strout.net/python/piddle/ )

To be fair, PIDDLE is being developed by a team of people.  I'm merely
hosting the web pages and writing the QuickDraw backend.

>But there is only a Quickdraw backend available at the moment.

The PostScript backend is also nearly done, and has replicated the sample
outputs posted on the PIDDLE page, but I haven't linked it up yet.

>Question on Piddle:
>1. Any time frame on the other backends?

In addition to the QuickDraw and PostScript backends, we have folks on the
team working on Tk, Windows, and PDF backends. These should be done in the
next week or two.

>2.  What are the requirements for Piddle?

Python 1.5.2(b1), though that could be relaxed if necessary (we're using
the new list .extend method in a place or two).  That's all that is
required to use Piddle with PostScript and PDF, I believe.  The QuickDraw
version requires QuickDraw; the Tk version requires Tkinter; the Windows
version works only under Windows.  Also planned, but not yet implemented,
are a PIL version that draws directly to a PIL pixel map, and a GIF backend
that writes to a GIF file (though you could do this via PIL, if we get that
done first).

>3.  What does Piddle use to produce its PDF output?

It writes PDF directly via its PDF backend.

>Both packages have some, but not all (at the moment) of what I am
>looking for.  It would be good to couple the two.  Use Piddle as the
>generic graphics layer( for native on-Screen drawing ) and Snow as the
>backend for producing the multiple output.

David's involved in the development of PIDDLE, and I'm keeping up on the
development of Snow, so it is indeed possible that these two will get
together somehow.

Cheers,
-- Joe
,------------------------------------------------------------------.
|    Joseph J. Strout           Biocomputing -- The Salk Institute |
|    joe@strout.net             http://www.strout.net              |
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