I would have to agree with most of what Massimo said. When I started using matplotlib I also learned some wxPython stuff because I thought that was needed. Not a bad thing to learn, but then all the pylab references confused me. Finally, I got it straight and almost always start with import pylab now. I suspect matplotlib started out with the dream of replacing some part of MatLab, but then morphed into a nice plotting library for Python. The documentation has not shaken off that dream.
Certainly, using pylab/matplotlib, iPython, and SciPy one can go vary far in getting MatLab-like environment. But that combination (or something similar) is needed beyond matplotlib. Massimo is right, the real gain is Python in combination with nice usable libraries for scientific/technical programming. Don't confuse the newbies. --- massimo sandal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Not quite a 'development environment', but a long > way > > towards one. > > I always thought that the focus of matplotlib > towards matlab-like > interactivity is fundamentally flawed. Matlab-like > interactivity is damn > good when it is needed, but for that purpose in the > free world there are > already the good Octave, Gnuplot and Scilab. > > The big strength of matplotlib is that it is Python > -that is, it is > built on top of a general purpose language that is > both very powerful > and a breeze to code with. > > I would like to see matplotlib being pushed as a > scientific plotting > development library and environment, with pylab > being a nice add-on for > people accustomed with python and wanting a > python-friendly interactive > plot. Today matplotlib is marketed viceversa, and in > my opinion this > confuses newcomers (that see a programming language > being used as an > interactive command line environment) and doesn't > help who wants to use > matplotlib as what it is -a python library- with > full power (I was > *extremly* confused when I started to dig matplotlib > to build a wx > application and *everything* I found starting with > was a reference to > pylab...) > > So, coming back to Giorgio question, I'd like to > advice him to teach > matplotlib+scipy to his students as a programming > environment first, > letting them learn Python, and *after* showing them > that there is a > pythonic interactive environment. > > m. > -- > Massimo Sandal -- Lou Pecora, my views are my own. --------------- "I knew I was going to take the wrong train, so I left early." --Yogi Berra ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center. http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV _______________________________________________ Matplotlib-users mailing list Matplotlib-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/matplotlib-users
