Gnuplot

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gnuplot is a versatile command-line program that can generate two- and three-dimensional plots of functions and data. The program runs on all major computers and operating systems. gnuplot is a program with a fairly long history, dating back to 1986.

gnuplot can produce output directly on screen, or in many formats of graphics files, among which PNG, EPS, SVG, JPEG and many others. The program can be used both interactively and in batch mode using scripts. For an example script and its output, see logarithmic spiral.png. The program is well supported and documented. Extensive help can also be found on the Internet.

gnuplot is used as the plotting engine of GNU Octave.

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License

Its name notwithstanding, the program has no connection to the GNU project. The title was originally chosen to avoid conflicts with a program called "newplot", and was originally a compromise between "llamaplot" and "nplot". [1]

The program is distributed under a free software license permitting copying and modification of the source code. However, modified versions are only allowed to be distributed as patch files: as such, the gnuplot licence is not compatible with the GPL. [2]

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