2 GNUPLOT 3.0 RELEASE NOTES
4 This describes changes to gnuplot since version 2.02 (ie, 2.0
9 Gnuplot now handles surfaces as well. A new command names 'splot' (for
10 surface plot) has been added for that purpose. A number of new 'set'
11 options for surfaces have also been added and include: isosamples,
12 view, contour, cntrparam, mapping and surface. All tic/label/range
13 setting for x and y axes were extended for z as well.
15 The size of data file for both curves and surfaces is now independent
16 of the samples (and iso_samples) variables. Data structures will
17 automatically be extended to hold the entire data file.
21 3-d plotting with 'splot', and many auxiliary options.
23 New 'errorbars' plot style.
25 New 'using x:y{:z}' format (NOT COMPATIBLE WITH GNUPLOT 2.02).
27 Data file plotting (for both curves and surfaces) does not require
28 setting samples (and isosamples for surfaces) any more. Size is
29 increased on the fly, without affecting the sample rate of functions.
31 New makefile scheme for unix, that supports lots of flavors.
33 Command-line editing and history.
35 Adjustable display of plot border ('set border').
37 Set-commands 'x/y/zlabel' can now position the label.
39 Set-command 'title' can now position the title.
41 New time display command ('set time').
43 All PostScript devices were rewritten and merged into one (Color
44 Postscript is supported). Due to this many of the old postscript
45 terminal driver names are not supported; only 'postscript' is
46 recognized. Use 'help set terminal postscript' to find out how to get
47 your old favorite back, and more.
49 A 'gnuplot' mode for emacs in the file gnuplot.el.
51 SGI device was improved.
53 New option to 'set arrow' called 'nohead'.
55 List of all new commands:
56 -------------------------
59 List of all new set-show commands:
60 ---------------------------------
61 border, cntrparam, contour, isosamples, mapping, rrange, surface,
62 time, view, zlabel, ztics, zrange.
64 List of changed set-show commands:
65 ----------------------------------
66 arrow, terminal, title, xlabel, ylabel, zlabel
70 vws, apollo, gpr apollo, dumb, BigFig, Super
71 VGA, ln03/hplj/hpdj, dxf.
75 The gnut2p translator (translating gnutex to gnuplot) has been removed
76 from the standard distribution. It is available for ftp separately at
77 cs.duke.edu as dist/sources/gnuplot/gnut2p.tar.Z
81 Fix a bug in parametric type hangup.
83 Add a .sty file to fix indexing problem in manual.
87 Fix a bug in FIG arrows.
92 - New PostScript device by Russell Lang (rjl@monu1.cc.monash.edu.au).
93 - Several bug fixes, manual proofing, World Map by John Campbell
94 (campbell@nauvax.ucc.nau.edu).
95 - Eliminating samples from data files, lasergnu, and errorbars by
96 David Kotz (David.Kotz@Dartmouth.edu).
97 - New history and line editing capability for Unix and MSDOS, bivariate
98 functions and some bug fixes by Tom Tkacik (tkacik@hobbes.cs.gmr.com).
99 - New using x:y{:z} format by Dennis Linse (djlinse@phoenix.princeton.edu).
100 - Some polar enhancements, time display and some bug fixes by
101 Alex Woo (woo@ra-next.arc.nasa.gov).
102 - Dumb terminal by Francois Pinard (pinard@iro.umontreal.ca).
103 - VWS device by Walter Speth (speth@dbnpib5.bitnet).
104 - BigFig device by (ian@augean.ua.oz.au).
105 - XDF device by Florian Hiss (fhis1231@w204zrz.zrz.tu-berlin.de).
106 - HP Desk Jet device, overlay support for BCC and more efficient help
107 and pc.trm for MSDOS by Maurice Castro and Russell Lang
108 (rjl@monu1.cc.monash.edu.au).
109 - New makefile scheme by Roque Donizete De Oliveira and David Kotz
110 (oliveria@caen.engin.umich.edu and David.Kotz@Dartmouth.edu).
111 - The 3d extensions, contouring, Super VGA device, and bringing this new
112 version up by Gershon Elber (gershon@cs.utah.edu).
114 Other bug fixes/improvments:
115 = Tom Bopp (tbopp@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu)
116 = Kenneth H. Carpenter (khc@eece.ksu.edu)
117 = Mark Christopher (christo@bnr.ca)
118 = Henk de Haan (haan@irimcf.tudelft.nl)
119 = David Gillespie (daveg@csvax.cs.caltech.edu)
122 + John Campbell (campbell@nauvax.ucc.nau.edu)
123 + Kenneth H. Carpenter (khc@eece.ksu.edu)
124 + Gershon Elber (gershon@cs.utah.edu)
125 + Pat Empleo (empleop@afal-edwards.af.mil)
126 + David Kotz (dfk@moose.dartmouth.edu)
127 + Russell Lang (rjl@monu1.cc.monash.edu.au)
128 + Tom Tkacik (tkacik@hobbes.cs.gmr.com)
129 + Roque Donizete De Oliveira (oliveria@caen.engin.umich.edu)
130 + Walter Speth (Speth@dbnpib5.bitnet)
131 + Carsten Steger (stegerc@gshalle2.informatik.tu-muenchen.de)
133 ============================================================================
135 GNUPLOT 2.0 RELEASE NOTES
137 New terminal drivers: ATT6300, Roland DXY800A, EEPIC, emTeX, EPSON LX-800,
138 EPSON 60dpi, Fig, HP2648, HPGL, HP LaserJet, Imagen, Kermit-MS Tektronix
139 emulator, LaTeX, MCGA, NEC CP6 pinwriter, POSTSCRIPT, Proprinter, Star color
140 printer, Tandy DMP-130, Tektronix 410x, SUN, VGA, X11.
144 Command-line arguments are accepted. They are treated as names of
145 files containing gnuplot commands. Gnuplot loads them, one by one, and
148 Command 'plot' now has a 'title' option to change the information in
149 the key. The 'with' option can now specify line type and point type.
153 Command 'replot' allows the addition of extra plots.
155 Command 'save' now saves all the 'set' options, including the last
158 Command 'set autoscale' now accepts autoscaling on the x axis for data
159 files. The default is autoscaling on both axes.
161 Command 'set noclip' disables clipping of points near the border. 'set
162 clip' reenables clipping. The default used to be 'clip', and is now
163 'noclip'. Clipping has also been extended to clip lines that extend
164 outside the borders: line plots are now clipped at the plot boundary.
165 Formerly, the line stopped at the last in-range data point.
167 Numerical labelling at tic marks on x and y axes. Command 'set
168 format' allows the format of the tic mark labels to be altered.
169 Commands 'set xtics' and 'set ytics' allow for alphanumeric labels and
170 arbitrary tic positions.
172 Command 'set grid' adds a grid between the tic marks.
174 Improved key gives sample point or line types. Key can be disabled
175 with the 'set nokey'. Key can be positioned anywhere.
177 Command 'set label' allows the placement of arbitrary text labels and
180 Command 'set polar' for polar plots.
182 Command 'set offsets' for reducing the plotted area. Useful for polar
185 Command 'set size' scales the displayed size of the plot.
187 Command 'set tics out' causes the tics to be drawn outwards from the
188 border. Useful for impulse plots.
190 Command 'set title' places a text label above the plot.
192 Commands 'set xlabel' and 'set ylabel' place text labels on the x and
193 y axes respectively. Some terminals will place the y label vertically
194 upwards on the left of the plot, others place the label horizontally
195 at the left of the plot.
197 Improved tics on log scales.
199 Extended comments: comments are allowed anywhere reasonable in the
200 input line, and continue to the end of the input line.
202 Line continuation (with \) is added.
204 Non-interactive use, through redirection or "load" command, is
205 improved. Error messages expanded to include file name and line
206 number, and to reprint command line if not interactive.
208 New plotting styles 'linespoints' and 'dots'.
210 Blank lines in data files denote "breaks". In lines and linespoints
211 plot styles, this breaks the curve being drawn and begins at the next
212 point, without changing the line or point types.
214 Completely new interactive help system that is similar to VMS help
215 system. A printed manual can be obtained in LaTeX, troff, or nroff and
216 is based on the same information as the interactive help.
218 PC version now compiles with the large model so that gnuplot will
219 compile with the above additions!
223 Bug involving functions plotted on a logarithmic x axis is fixed.
225 Errors inside of loaded files now clean up and close files properly.
227 Numbers of the form xxxxe+nn are now acceptable (+ sign caused error).
229 Tics are now place inside the borders (some were outside).
231 Reverse axes now work properly.
233 Command 'set output ""' used to crash.
235 VMS was closing stdout, so 'set output' code changed to avoid closing
236 it. VMS version of gnuplot now performs a SET TERM/NOWRAP itself.
238 Terminal is now reset before closing output file, changing terminal
239 type or exiting gnuplot.
241 Several old bugs have been superseded by new ones.
246 The Unix PC, polar, pause, and offset additions were by John Campbell.
247 (CAMPBELL@NAUVAX.bitnet)
248 The Turbo C additions were by Bill Wilson.
249 (WILSON@NAUVAX.bitnet)
250 Some of the labelling improvements and combining of these additions
251 were by Russell Lang.
252 (rjl@monu1.cc.monash.oz.au)
253 The LaTeX driver, the help system, and some of the labelling
254 improvements were by David Kotz.
255 (David.Kotz@Dartmouth.edu)
256 And of course, the vast majority of the program is by Colin Kelley
258 (info-gnuplot@dartmouth.edu)
260 =======================================================================
262 GNUPLOT 1.1 RELEASE NOTES
264 New terminal drivers: AED 512, BBN BitGraph, HP2623, POSTSCRIPT,
265 Selanar, Vectrix 384. The PC version now supports Hercules and ATT
266 6300 monochrome graphics. Thanks to those who sent these drivers in.
268 New commands: 'set dummy' and 'show dummy' to select the dummy
269 variable name; 'replot' to repeat the last 'plot' command.
271 The exclamation point (!) is now accepted as postfix factorial
272 operator. The gamma() function is also included, if your C library
273 has gamma(). See GAMMA below.
275 Logical AND (&&) and OR (||) now short-circuit the way they do in C.
276 That is, the second && operand is not evaluated if the first is false;
277 the second || operand is not evaluated if the first is true. The
278 ternary operator (?:) also does not evaluate the unused operand. This
279 change allows for the definition of recursive functions, e.g. a
280 synonym for the ! factorial operator:
282 fact(x) = (x<=1) ? 1 : x*fact(x-1)
284 GNUPLOT now has a much better memory allocation scheme, replacing most
285 fixed-size arrays with malloc()'d linked lists. There is no longer
286 any artificial maximum on the number of simultaneous plots, number of
287 points in those plots, or the number of user-defined functions or
288 variables. All these are limited only by the memory available to
289 malloc(). This is a big improvement for memory-starved machines like
292 Lines beginning with # (also ! in VMS) are treated as comments. Only
293 the $ may now be used for a shell escape in VMS, since ! is a comment.
295 Several old bugs have been superseded by new ones.