Messages from Usenet group comp.lang.idl-pvwave, compiled by Paulo Penteado
In article <49ic4s$pi7@aplinfo.jhuapl.edu>, gotwols@strdev.jhuapl.edu (Bruce Gotwols) wrote: > 1. Provide better tools for large projects ... I would like to see a better development environment as well, plus such things as 32-bit integers as the default. I don't envi (sorry for the pun) them trying to maintain backwards compatibility though. They would likely face the same uproar that Fortran users unleashed when the standards committee proposed 'deprecating' some features (there are still a lot of computed GOTO's out there). > 2. Provide modern support for presentation quality graphics: > Ditch the Hershey caligraphy set and support on screen characters properly! > Any characters written to the screen or to a Tiff file look like they are > straight out of the 70's. IDL has not kept up in this area and it is > gradually forcing us away from IDL for all applications involving presentation > graphics. In all cases where I need a Tiff file to send to our $25K Kodak dye > sub color printer I have to resort to Adobe Photoshop to get decent lettering. Won't your printer take PostScript files? I used to import IDL graphics into Canvas and re-do labels, etc., but now I go straight from IDL to the printer. It is a minor hassle to get all the fonts and sizes right, but I much prefer a programmable way to make presentation graphs to fiddling around in a graphics program. Regards, Ken Bowman -- Kenneth P. Bowman, Assoc. Prof. 409-862-4060 Department of Meteorology 409-862-4132 fax Texas A&M University bowman@csrp.tamu.edu College Station, TX 77843-3150
Kevin Spencer wrote: > > gotwols@strdev.jhuapl.edu (Bruce Gotwols) writes: > >> RSI sent me a survey today and asked for my opinion on a variety of >> IDL related topics. This got me to thinking, and I composed the >> comments appended below. I wonder how many other IDL users share some of these >> same thoughts? > > [comments deleted] > I must agree that many of the older, "core" routines don't work very well: map_set, map_continents, contour, ... So I get upset with the development of new features while the old ones sit around gathering dust. A friend of my is fond of saying that "software left unattended rots!" Is anyone listening out there? -- Andrew F. Loughe (afl@cdc.noaa.gov) University of Colorado, CIRES * Campus Box 449 * Boulder, CO 80309 phone: (303) 492-0707 fax: (303) 497-7013
gotwols@strdev.jhuapl.edu (Bruce Gotwols) writes: > RSI sent me a survey today and asked for my opinion on a variety of > IDL related topics. This got me to thinking, and I composed the > comments appended below. I wonder how many other IDL users share some of these > same thoughts? [comments deleted] I for one share your criticisms of IDL. Let's hope they take notice. ----------------------------------------------------------- Kevin Spencer Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory and Beckman Institute University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign kspencer@p300.cpl.uiuc.edu / kspencer@psych.uiuc.edu -----------------------------------------------------------
> gotwols@strdev.jhuapl.edu (Bruce Gotwols) writes: > > > > [comments deleted] > >> I must agree that many of the older, "core" routines don't work very well: >> map_set, map_continents, contour, ... >> >> So I get upset with the development of new features while the >> old ones sit around gathering dust. A friend of my is fond >> of saying that "software left unattended rots!" >> >> Is anyone listening out there? >> >> -- >> Andrew F. Loughe (afl@cdc.noaa.gov) I am listening and I agree with You, too. Because of this I send last week a detailed letter to our German distributor (CreaSo) of IDL, to think about the philosophy of IDL in the future, together with RSI. IDL has a chance, if it is humble enough to learn from many PD-Products (GNU-Plot, VIS5D, XVGR) and from professional, but relative cheap (campus licences) products as NCARGraphics, EXCEL, Explorer, AVS, Performer ... how to serve his users with good GUIs and stable modules. Let's hope the best for IDL 7.0 (thinking like Bill Gates) Dr. Andreas Oberreuter EURAD-Administration Postadress: University of Cologne (GERMANY) Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology - Project EURAD - Atmospheric Research Dr.Andreas Oberreuter, Aachener Strasse 201-209, D-50931 Cologne Phone: ++49 (221) 400 22 20 / 400 22 58 (Secretary) Fax: ++49 (221) 400 23 20 E-Mail: ao@eurad.uni-koeln.de -- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bitte als mailadress ao@eurad.uni-koeln.de benutzen !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please use as mailadress ao@eurad.uni-koeln.de !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!