[johnMG]

Ok, I know some C++, some Obj-C, have forgotten a bunch of Java, and have done a very small amount of shell scripting.

I'd like to create a small 2d plotting/graphing application and run it on OS X.

So far I've putzed around with it in C++ and OpenGL (yes, overkill, I know), but I'm looking for a simpler alternative.

I just need to read in some text files (parse a simple config file and then read in some data from another file) and then draw some lines and text in a window.

What are my options besides C++/Obj-C/Java?

[ambush]

cocoa/obj-c is a good way

[Rickster]

If you're just talking about plotting some points and lines on a graph, it's incredibly easy using Cocoa's NSBezierPath class.

[johnMG]

Thanks for the replies. I'll have a look at NSBezierPath.

Hmm,.. it could just be that I'm looking for an app rather than a language. I'm also going to take a peek at the gnu site and maybe gnuplot http://www.gnuplot.info/ too.

From what I can tell about Obj-C, it seems like a nicely simplified version of C++. I bet it's a little too easy to begin using Obj-C exclusively, and then forgetting a lot of finer points of C++ (because there's a lot to remember). Well, at least for someone like me who's not programming all the time.

Thanks.

[larkost]

There are "finer points" to C++? I always thought of them as nasty details...

[johnMG]

I suspect that for a skilled and experienced C++ developer who writes and debugs C++ day-in and day-out, those nasty details can help keep code implemented nearly as it was designed, while at the same time keeping the door open for optimization and "cheating" (jamming in features that never were intended) later on.

However, I'm starting to think that to be able to pull that off, you've got to have a lobe or two of your brain dedicated full-time to C++. ;)

I'm finding that whenever I spend too much (?) time away from C++ doing the stuff my domain knowledge is really in, I come back and have to re-learn and struggle with getting the C++ right.

Oh, and also, found this awesome little dumpling for data plotting and graphing
http://plasma-gate.weizmann.ac.il/Grace/
Gonna see if I can get it to build/run on OS X.

[Camelot]

Originally posted by johnMG:
Hmm,.. it could just be that I'm looking for an app rather than a language. I'm also going to take a peek at the gnu site and maybe gnuplot http://www.gnuplot.info/ too.

From your description (read a file and plot a graph), even Excel can do that.

Alternatively, look at DeltaGraph ( http://www.redrocksw.com/deltagraph/mac/ ), a more full-featured graphing program.

[johnMG]

Thanks Camelot. I won't touch MS software, and DeltaGraph 5 for Mac OS X (single license) is $300 (and I'm unemployed at the moment).

I'm gonna fiddle with Grace for now. If I have any more questions about it, I'll be sure to take them to the Software board on this site.

[Arkham_c]

Also consider RealBasic. It's quite nice for throwing an app together quickly.