Scott, I'm replying to myself so that you can refer to what I've already written while reading this newer text, below.
On 20101218_065145, Paul E Condon wrote: > On 20101217_233118, Scott Howard wrote: > > On Fri, Dec 17, 2010 at 8:05 PM, Aaron M. Ucko <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Paul E Condon <[email protected]> writes: > > > > > >> First, maybe I don't need to compile from source --- Is there a > > >> package for this in Debian? What is the package name? > > > > > > I see no sign of any existing package either, but it was a good thought > > > to check first. > > > > Is there a desire/userbase for this package to be included in debian? > > I have not used it, but can help work on it if this is something > > interesting to users. (I've never made a fortran library package > > before, could be interesting...) > > > > This is their license statement: "Open source software, as exemplified > > by the GNU foundation, is becoming incresingly popular. Although > > Dataplot does not explicitly utilize the GNU license, Dataplot has > > always made the source code available (Dataplot is trade marked but > > not copyrighted). Note that we place no restrictions on how you use > > the source code. You are free to modify it for your own purposes and > > are free to re-distribute it with your own applications. We > > appreciate, but do not require, acknowledgement." > > > > And from [1]: > > "Beyond the packages many of us have heard of, this week James > > J. Filliben of the Statistical Engineering Division of the U.S. National > > Institute of Standards (NIST) presented software continually developed since > > they first introduced it in 1978 (yes, that's 20 years) [edit: make > > that 30]. That software is > > "DATAPLOT". > > > > Three people work on dataplot full time at NIST. They have 1 million lines > > of > > code in the program, 17 MB of binaries, and 2000 pages of documentation. > > They > > have 70 statistical distributions, probably more than the statistical > > bastions > > SAS, SPSS and BMDP. They contain most every experimental design in Box and > > Jenkins. Their software does Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA), time series > > analysis, process control, reliability. Their front end is Tcl/Tk and they > > have extensive graphics. This program is very popular at NIST." > > > > > > Anyone have an opinion or experience with this? > > > > Cheers, > > Scott > > > > [1] http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/1997/12/msg01129.html > > Scott, > Thanks for this very enlightening link into the past. I discovered this > > http://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/index.htm > > while doing a Google search for something else, and it looked to me to > be an interesting alternative view of how statistics relates to the > hard sciences. It mentions DATAPLOT (I remember that ancient era when > all computer stuff was all caps.) > > I have never run dataplot, nor ever met someone who has used dataplot. > So, it is hard for me to whole-heartedly endorse building a Debian > package. But --- this might really be a REALLY GOOD THING. The > handbook link, listed above, is to an actively maintained html > document. I experienced some difficulty reading it because at several > points, I used Google to look up parts I had just recently read, and > Google presented pages from an earlier version that had been squirrled > away somewhere in the cloud. > > After reading the stuff you found in debian-user/1997 I am highly > motivated to get dataplot compiled and running here. And pretty > confident that I will find it so useful that I will want to have > access to a properly maintained Debian package. > > James J Fillinben, the author of dataplot, is referenced as actively > engaged in statistical work at NIST in 1999, and may still be > available for advice and consulting, but I haven't found explicit > statement of his current whereabouts. He might be retired and relish > the opportunity to help. > > Cheers. > -- I've succeeded in compiling the main program, but I am foundering on installing the supporting materials, including the Tcl/Tk GUI. I have been looking for more detailed instructions for installing this 'extra' stuff, but so far not finding anything that is detailed enough for me. Nothing that I have seen so far, indicates to me that Dataplot is anything less than claimed. Since you have offered to package Dataplot, could you, as a sort of practice problem, write a HowTo for installing Dataplot from the existing down-loadable tar files? I am having trouble deciding where to unpack stuff, and really basic issues like that. I think that both James Filliben and Alan Heckert are still active at NIST: [email protected] [email protected] They should be able to answer intelligent questions. My problem is with making up my own intelligent questions. I've already emailed Alan asking for a HowTo, and haven't given him enough time to respond. But I want to keep you interested in this, because I think I will need a proper package eventually. (For the transition to the version following Squeeze at the latest.) You might just take a look at what is available on the web, thereby giving Alan a chance to reply. It may be that you will find the material there to be entirely adequate. But I really don't expect that Alan's HowTo, will comply with Debian FHS, if it even exists. Cheers, Paul -- Paul E Condon [email protected] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [email protected] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? 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