Scientific Plotting?

[Nick Bower]

Michael Huster wrote:
> 
> I am also trying to find an adequate *object* based plotting package.
> I am writing some signal processing software and want to code plotting
> into the classes I am defining.
> 
> <snip>
>
> I am kind of bummed. If we wrap intelligent python wrappers around
> something, we will post it.
> 

I agree.  I think it it's great for people loosely affiliated with the
development community to be writing these packages (and a couple of
early but promising packages have been pointed out in this thread), but
what about the people most intimately involved with the design and
distribution of Python?  Is it a concern?

I see Python as a great possibility for a teaching language, especially
for young science/engineering students to get in and get the job done. 
And it's free, which goes a long way in my struggling physics department
back home.  But how can someone promote the language when people will
most understandably spend hundreds/thousands of dollars to fall back to
the commerical maths packages because the plotting is superb and really
flexible?  Maybe I'm the only one that sees python could reach a wider
audience without too much more effort - I wouldn't suggest I'm right
though! ;)

nick

-- 

Nick Bower
Space Science and Engineering Center
University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
Phone: (608) 265 8007
Email: nick.bower at ssec.wisc.edu
Web: http://arm1.ssec.wisc.edu/~nickb