Re: ptplot and swarm-java

[Paul E Johnson]

"Marcus G. Daniels" wrote:
> 
> >>>>> "PJ" == Paul E Johnson <address@hidden> writes:
> 
> PJ> I think java has much to recommend it as a language
> 
> ..which is distinct from GUI frameworks written in Java, like Swing.
Yes. I keep reading how Swing is a drag.  But what alternative do I
have?

> 
> PJ> If we had a standard set of names for these things, they could
> PJ> become effective replacements for EZGraph/EZBin.
> 
> I can't see an immediate advantage to replacing EZGraph/EZBin
> with Java counterparts.  ptplot is quite a bit slower, for example.
> Given the choice between writing something *new* using tkobjc widgets
> and AWT/Swing things, I'd say go with the latter.

However if we/I do develop java tools for scatterplots, bar charts, and
other things Swarm does not currently support, I'll have a hard time in
the classroom if I have to teach them two sets of routines for making
graphs.  So that argues at least for having a complete suite on the java
side.  Now, if we could get Gary Polhill's EZBar class into the swarm
distribution, along with a scatterplot graph, then I'd not have to
fiddle with ptplot at all.  But I don't know the tcl/tk required to make
all that magic come true, and I had in the back of my mind the notion
that we would eventually dump tcl/tk.  But I understand that impression
was based on a conversation we had more than 2 years ago. 

Coincidentally, I am puzzled about how to write these general purpose
classes at all in Java when the book I have here says there is no
variable type "selector".  If I could pass through a Selector to tell a
graph class what method to use to get the data it needs from the objects
in a HashMap, then the project would be easy. I see Swarm has a Selector
class that gins up a selector to pass through to an obj-c receiver, but
I don't get how I can pass a selector from one java object to another.

Oh, well, its probably just beginner's tunnel vision.

-- 
Paul E. Johnson                       email: address@hidden
Dept. of Political Science            http://lark.cc.ukans.edu/~pauljohn
University of Kansas                  Office: (785) 864-9086
Lawrence, Kansas 66045                FAX: (785) 864-5700

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