![]() ![]() ![]() However, he modestly states that “in practically all regards, we haven't reached these grand goals yet, which is reflected by the pre-1.0 version number. Additionally, SciDAVis is “powerful, because you can write Python scripts for automating tasks”. Knut agrees with this and explains his ultimate vision for SciDAVis as being “simple in contrast to completely script-driven tools like GNUPlot or matplotlib and badly designed GUI tools such as Origin and Grace”. Tilman describes SciDAVis as “an interactive cross-platform data analysis and visualization program aimed at high-quality plotting of scientific data” and says it “strives to combine an intuitive, easy-to-use graphical user interface with powerful features”. However, Knut sees some libraries used in QtiPlot that may have an application in SciDAVis: “namely liborigin2 (an improved version of the liborigin project) and libraries for exporting graphics from Qt to TeX and to EMF”. Extensive sharing of code between QtiPlot and SciDAVis in the future is unlikely – Tilman explains that “SciDAVis 0.2.0 already features an almost complete rewrite of the table and matrix code to make (among other things) the undo/redo functionality possible”. As Knut puts it, the fork happened because they had “different ideas about many things, including design goals, management of community resources and the right way to make money from a free software project”. ![]() He and Knut Franke (currently working on his diploma thesis in theoretical physics near Cologne) forked QtiPlot in 2007 to start the SciDAVis (Scientific Data Analysis and Visualisation) project and they were joined by Roger Gadiou, QtiPlot's documentation writer at the time. Tilman Benkert (a former scientist now working as a software developer in Stuttgart) joined QtiPlot development after having to use Origin for his PhD thesis and publications due to a lack of a comparable free software alternative. Alexander wants SciDAVis and LabPlot to be “the plotting application the Linux users thinks of first”. Stefan describes LabPlot as a free KDE data analysis and visualization program that “tries to combine most of the features needed for advanced data analysis and high-quality plots under a user friendly GUI”. So, he joined the project: “I contacted Stefan and offered my help. LabPlot, though not everything he wanted, “had the biggest potential”. He'd previously used Grace, but “was never happy and comfortable with this motif-based piece of software”. ![]() Alexander Semke (working in theoretical hadron physics at GSI in Darmstadt) joined the LabPlot project in 2008. Stefan has another claim to fame in starting the liborigin project, a library used to import projects from the proprietary Origin program. In 2006 he realized it “was time to take the next step to really open up the project” and started working on the KDE 4 LabPlot 2. LabPlot was started back in 2001 by Stefan Gerlach (a scientist, lecturer and IT administrator in the department of theoretical physics at the University of Konstanz) because he “needed a good plotting program and couldn't find any”. If you'd like to see exactly what they said then read the full interview. The core developers we interviewed were extremely helpful in replying to a long list of questions we sent them in great detail and the following is a heavily edited summary of their responses. ![]()
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