Ploticus

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Ploticus is script-driven, which makes it suitable for automated, unattended uses, or for applications that will be run again and again. Ploticus might be your choice for stylistic reasons or just because it suits the problem or application. In general, ploticus is good at making graphs like you would see in newspapers and news magazines, business publications, journals for medical and social sciences, and so on.

You can also use Ploticus in combination with standard desktop tools, e.g. generate data displays using ploticus then import SVG or PNG into PowerPoint, Word, etc.

Ploticus is not a function or mathematical plotting package like gnuplot, nor would it be a good choice for applications where mathematical formulas or scientific notations are to be rendered as an integral part of the data display. Ploticus is also not intended as a “marketing” graphics package. Its goal is to display data crisply without extra decoration and distracting “dingbats” that cloud the picture. Thus there is little support for 3-D effects, gradient backgrounds, and so on.

FreeBSD note the binary is referred to as ‘pl’ in the source files, but is installed as ‘ploticus’ so as to avoid conflicts with other ports.