Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!bronze!cliu@copper.ucs.indiana.edu
From: chang hsu liu <cliu@copper.ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Summary (Long) part 1: Graphing programs to go?
Message-ID: <1991May18.052257.29733@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu>
Sender: <cliu@copper.ucs.indiana.edu>
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Sat, 18 May 91 00:22:42 -0500
Lines: 116


	A couple of days ago I asked the net about the graphing program to 
substitute Cricket Graph. 14 people responded my request. KaleidaGraph get
the most votes, Igor is the next, DeltaGraph is the third. Many people addressed
that which program to go is depend upon your needs. KaleidaGraph and Igor are more 
suitable for scientific graphs; DeltaGraph is more suitable for business use. 

	My sincere thanks to all the people replied the mail. With your
suggestions, our office has more options to go. Below are the messages I
received.

From: eto@seti.jpl.nasa.gov (Edward T. Olsen)
 
Which program is best depends upon what is required and who the user is.
I have had experience with all you mentioned except WingZ.  My preference
is KaleidaGraph.
 
KaleidaGraph is best for scientific work, especially when looking at data
in different ways and making presentations.  It does not support 3-D.
 
DeltaGraph appears to be best for management types.
 
Excel and (I assume) WingZ would be best choice when you have dynamic data
(i.e., you keep changing parameters and checking result).  I do this often,
but still import the results to KaleidaGraph for my work.
 
CricketGraph was wonderful in its day, but it has not been supported by its
makers and is now eclipsed by KaleidaGraph (and likely will not run on the
newer machines or operating systems).
 
Other scientific graphics you might investigate are Igor and the SpyGlass
data visualization set (dicer, etc).  But they are for special scientific
use.
 
   Good Luck,
 
  Ed
 
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From: <owen@raven.phys.washington.edu>
 
Excel stinks for scientific graphing. Even getting an x axis is a chore,
and I always have to look it up in the manual.
 
I have only used Cricket Graph, Wingz, and DeltaGraph for short periods. None
were very good (Cricket being the worst), but I may have missed some things.
 
We use KaleidaGraph, and it's good. It behaves like Cricket Graph done right --
similar paradigm, but better output, better number crunching, faster...
 
But if you are only doing 2-D graphs (e.g. not contour plots), and can live
without radial graphs (alas, we can't live without them), then buy Igor! It is
far better than even KaleidaGraph. Igor offers:
- gorgeous output, both of individual graphs and of pages of graphs
- flexible data input (e.g. many different format text files can be read)
- awesome macros -- you can automate nearly anything if you like, including
  data input, analysis, and page layout...
- incredible speed -- for large graphs nothing I've used comes close
- very sophisticated data handling (but only of arrays -- hence the 2-D
  graph limitation). KaleidaGraph and the spreadsheets are pretty good,
  but Igor beats them hands down.
- good on-line help
- extensible (but you need a compiler to write add-on modules, of course)
 
Get the Igor demo. Work with it a bit; the paradigm is a bit odd at first,
especially if you're used to CricketGraph, but once you catch on, it's really
easy to use and remember. And it's different for good reasons (mostly -- why
they call arrays "waves" is beyond me).
 
Igor is sold by Wavemetrics:
wavemetrics@applelink.apple.com
(503) 620-3001
 
I have no relation to them except I WISH I was a customer (until they support
r-theta graphs, we can't justify it).
 
-- Russell
 
 
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From: Alan R. Fry <afry@uhura.cc.rochester.edu>
 
I have used all of the programs that you mentioned.  The one I find myself
using most is Kaleidagraph.  It is very powerful, very flexible, and very
fast.
 
Excel and Wingz are both multi-purpose programs which are quite good at a
lot of things.  I have both, and I mostly use Excel because I haven't taken
the time to vigorously learn Wingz, which seems to be a more modern
program.  I wouldn't recommend Excel for graphics, at least not version
2.2.  Version 3.0 is supposed to be a lot better, but I guess we'll have to
wait and see.  Anyway, my opinion is that spreadsheet programs are a bit of
overkill for scientific graphic, unless you do a lot of your calculations in
your graphing program.  Kaleidagraph, by the way, has great column-based
calculation abilities.
 
I have used Deltagraph, and I'm not all that impressed.  It has some nice
3-D graphing capablities (Wingz's are better in my opinion), but it's 2-D
graphing falls way behind Kaleidagraph.  You should probably play with it a
little to see if you like it.
 
If you are doing a lot of data *analysis*, then I recommend a program called
Igor.  It is not as easy to use as Kaleidagraph, and the graphs don't turn
out as pretty, but it is a very powerful data-manipulation and analysis
program.  It has a command line interface, full programability, and a lot of
nifty built in features.
 
It sounds like, for your purposes, Kaleidagraph is your best bet.
 
Good luck,
 
Alan
 
--
