Re: graphics packages for X windows

[Len Olszewski <saslpo -at- UNX -dot- SAS -dot- COM>]

Jan Patterson asks about graphics packages:

> I'm sending this message on behalf of one of the programmers/
> developers I work with.  He is looking for a "professional
> drawing or graphics package that runs on X windows."  If
> possible, this package should be compatible with DecWrite.

For simple line art, I've always had very good luck with the public
domain client Xfig. It's simple, but powerful. Your programmer buddy
could do very nice flow charts with it.

Tgif is another (I think public domain) similar product. I believe you
can use tgif to annotate existing bitmapped images, while xfig just
produces them, exporting them to a variety of formats, including
postscript and eps. The difference between the two is the interface, and
some folks prefer one over the other depending on style. I like xfig,
it's simpler, and usually that's what I'm after. My figures are sparse,
indicative, minimalist, and seek to simplify concepts. They are very
similar to flow charts, with a lot of squares, circles, lines with
arrows and text.

I don't have a clue where the ftp sites that carry these products are.
People here at work install them and put them on the local network, and
I just use them 8-).

|Len Olszewski, Technical Writer |   "The fish."                      |
|saslpo -at- unx -dot- sas -dot- com|Cary, NC, USA|    -Salvador Dali                  |
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| Opinions this ludicrous are mine. Reasonable opinions will cost you.|