[SciPy-dev] PyGist

[Travis Oliphant]

I have recently discovered the PyGist has undergone some changes while 
we've been using it in SciPy.

Part of these changes have led it to be available on Windows!!!!

Given that to compile SciPy on Windows we need the same tools required 
to compile and use PyGist on Windows, I am very willing to make the 
modifications to xplt necessary to get it to compile and be useful to 
the windows user.

This will provide a fast and very capable plotting package that while 
missing a couple of the bells and whistles of the eventually delivered 
chaco package, will allow users to produce publication quality plots 
immediately under current SciPy.

I think this is very important for the further dissemination of SciPy.  

Some may get concerned that we will spend too many resources making xplt 
workable to only through it away in the end.   I think this will not 
happen because PyGist is so fast and easy to use.

I fear that we are losing potential users because we are not supporting 
a consistent and very useable (if not perfect) plotting package for 
SciPy.  Because PyGist now works on all platforms and it is very full 
featured there is no reason not to provide it in all binaries of SciPy.

-Travis O.