Subject: REVIEW: JcGraph
From: [email-masked] (Eyal Teler)
Date: 2 Mar 1994 16:33:15 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

PRODUCT NAME

	JcGraph

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

	A graph program.  Create 2D and 3D graphs from ASCII data files.

	This program was provided on the coverdisk of Amiga Computing
Magazine, issue 71, March 1994.  See my review of this magazine elsewhere
in the comp.sys.amiga.reviews archives.

AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

	Name:		Jean-Christophe Clement
	Address:	921, rang 3
			St-Simon
			Quebec, CANADA
			J0H-1Y0

LIST PRICE

	Freeware.

SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

	HARDWARE

		1MB RAM required.

	SOFTWARE

		Workbench 1.3.
		ARexx recommended for serious use.

COPY PROTECTION

	None.

MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

	Amiga 500, 1MB Chip RAM, 2MB Fast RAM.
	Kickstart 1.2, Workbench 1.3, ARP.
	Fujitsu 100MB SCSI drive in A590.

INSTALLATION

	Drag the JcGraph drawer to your hard disk.  On a Workbench 1.3
machine, you should copy the libs/kd_freq.library to the LIBS: directory.
"JCGRAPH:" should be assigned to the program's drawer (in the
startup-sequence file, for example).

REVIEW

	This program gives the ability to display graphs in 2D or 3D.  Graphs
are read from an ASCII file, whose format is described in the documentation.
There are 13 2D graph types and 13 3D graph types to select from.  It is
possible to rotate the graphs in three dimensions (even the 2D ones).

	The program opens three windows on the Workbench.  One is the Control
Window, which includes sliders for 3D rotation, 10 buttons which can be
assigned ARexx scripts, and 'undo' and 'render' buttons.  The two other
windows are the Preview Window, which is a wireframe display of the current
graph type and 3D placement, but displays a generic graph (not the one you
loaded); and the Rendering Window, which displays the rendered results in
filled 3D (or 2D).  All the windows can be dragged, and the Preview and
Render windows can also be resized.

	Selecting the graph type is done via a file requester, which is
a custom one on Workbench 1.3 machines. New graph types may be designed in
the form of ASCII files.

	The resulting graph can be saved in several formats:  IFF, EPS,
Aegis Draw, and Geo 3D.

DOCUMENTATION

	There's a tutorial in the magazine, and a documentation file on the
disk, which also includes a tutorial.  The tutorials explain basic operations
of the program well, but there are no examples for the programming aspects
of the program (ARexx and graph type construction).

LIKES AND DISLIKES

	LIKES

	The preview window.
	ARexx interface.
	Custom graph types.
	Support for many output formats.

	DISLIKES

	Selecting a graph type is awkward.  If there's anything a user would
want to do with this program, it is trying out different graph styles, to
select the most effective for the data in question.  Having to load a type
from the file requester every time is slow and uncomfortable, especially if
you happen to work from diskette.

	Window updates are very slow.

	The pie chart doesn't look anything like a pie.

	The hypertext system is uncomfortable.  I don't like having a window
for every page open, and I'd rather single-click than double-click to select.
(But that's just me.  I wonder how AmigaGuide does it.)

	[MODERATOR'S NOTE:  AmigaGuide uses a single click.  - Dan]

	How about the ability to load spreadsheet data into the program?
Could make it more useful.

	Too many windows clutter the Workbench (see BUGS).

COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	This program is said to be unique on the Amiga.  I've never used such
a program seriously on another platform, but I have dabbled with a similar PC
program which was much easier to use:  it had a spreadsheet-like front end
for data entry, if I remember correctly.

BUGS

	Tooltype SCREEN=custom doesn't work.  The program still opened on the
Workbench screen.

	Context sensitive help often gets the wrong context.

	The Arrange option, which should organise windows logically, uses
what seems to be the first 200 lines of my PAL Workbench, and results in a
messy screen.

VENDOR SUPPORT

	This was once a shareware program, but not enough people registered,
so it's now freeware and there's no support.

WARRANTY

	Coverdisk replacement by the magazine.

CONCLUSIONS

	This is a programmer's application.  A user with no knowledge of
programming, or one who doesn't want to dabble with the arcane features of
this program, is left with a program which is not very friendly, nor very
powerful.

	Someone who needs such an application, and is willing to invest time
learning how to customise it (i.e., to learn ARexx and experiment) could
possibly have a very useful program on his/her hands.  The ARexx interface
could allow the creation of a more powerful and friendlier front end.

	The slow windows update and awkward use, and having to work on a 4
colour Workbench (on my 1.3 machine) give a bad impression.  Still, it's
possible that with a faster machine and a newer Workbench the program would
be more usable.

	I'll give this product 7 out of 10, simply because I believe that in
some circumstances, on some machines, and for some people, it could prove
useful, even very useful.  For me and my machine, 5 out of 10 would be more
suitable.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

	Copyright 1994 Eyal Teler.  All rights reserved.

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