From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Msuck: nntp://news.gmane.io/gmane.science.mathematics.categories/2581 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Jeremy Gibbons Newsgroups: gmane.science.mathematics.categories Subject: Re: graphics Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 11:49:11 +0000 (GMT) Message-ID: References: <200402250526.i1P5Q8gA007761@coraki.Stanford.EDU> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1241018760 4825 80.91.229.2 (29 Apr 2009 15:26:00 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:26:00 +0000 (UTC) To: Original-X-From: rrosebru@mta.ca Tue Mar 2 12:13:56 2004 -0400 Return-path: Envelope-to: categories-list@mta.ca Delivery-date: Tue, 02 Mar 2004 12:13:56 -0400 Original-Received: from Majordom by mailserv.mta.ca with local (Exim 4.10) id 1AyCU0-00016d-00 for categories-list@mta.ca; Tue, 02 Mar 2004 12:11:00 -0400 X-Authentication-Warning: mercury.comlab: jg owned process doing -bs In-Reply-To: <200402250526.i1P5Q8gA007761@coraki.Stanford.EDU> Original-Sender: cat-dist@mta.ca Precedence: bulk X-Keywords: X-UID: 1 Original-Lines: 25 Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.science.mathematics.categories:2581 Archived-At: On Tue, 24 Feb 2004, Vaughan Pratt wrote: > If you're a Picasso in such things then > starting off with xfig isn't so bad, but if you're more of a Mondrian you > might prefer to work in Latex's picture environment from the get-go. > ... > The only other widely supported language I know that's expressive enough to > write a complete macro library in 20 lines for capabilities like flowcharts, > digital or analog circuits, and lattice diagrams and that interoperates > smoothly with Latex is PostScript. I'm surprised no-one seems to have mentioned John Hobby's METAPOST language. This is a mostly declarative language, with the capability of solving linear equations. (So you can, for example, express that one item appears halfway between two others, and that relationship will be maintained as either endpoint moves.) It also integrates beautifully with LaTeX. If you're neither a Picasso nor a Mondriaan, but you like writing programs, I would have said this was the tool for you. Should come with any decent TeX distribution. Jeremy