Messages from Usenet group comp.lang.idl-pvwave, compiled by Paulo Penteado
If IDL is going to have a new release, here are a few of the features I'd like to see: 1. On DEC machines, support (at least with doubles) values outside of the range 10^-35 - 10^35. This is a huge, huge problem for me. 2. Multiple (ganged) plots on a single page is a great idea. However, the ability to easily go back and overplot would be fantastic. I know it can be done by mucking about with the system variables (I've done it), but better still would be an automatic way to do it. 3. A built-in way to read in ascii table files of any length, without having to know the length in advance. I've written a program to do it (as have at least 5 other people), which I'd be happy to donate. For the beginning user, it'd be a huge convenience. 4. Bring back the old help files as well--admit that the hyperhelp isn't so hot. Yes, I know the old help stuff is still there, accessable via some incantation, but it should be more up-front. Call it "userhelp" or something, but leave it in. And, finally, the price. It seems to me that RSI is now going after the medical market--which can afford far more cost than, say, the astrophysics market I use IDL for. As a result, we're being priced out of the marketplace. I'm seriously looking at GUILE and GNUDL as IDL replacements--it seems to me that when they get a little more ready, writing an idl2gnudl converter wouldn't be too hard. Just a thought...IDL is a fine product, but the cost is making it hard to justify. Randall Smith randall.smith@gsfc.nasa.gov Not speaking for NASA, just myself.