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> R has some basic visualization libraries If you include CRAN packages, then this couldn't be further from the truth: http://addictedtor.free.fr/graphiques/ h

> R has some basic visualization libraries If you include CRAN packages, then this couldn't be further from the truth: http://addictedtor.free.fr/graphiques/ http://addictedtor.free.fr/graphiques/ R can be made to produce beautiful visualizations. Edit: here's a link to the top-voted thumbnails of R visualization: http://addictedtor.free.fr/graphiques/thumbs.php?sort=votes http://addictedtor.free.fr/graphiques/thumbs.php?sort=votes IMO, since it can be scripted from the command line, it's high time Gnuplot died a graceful death.

sciboy 16y ago
I have used R/ggplot for a long time now, and it's exceedingly difficult to produce beautiful visualizations. The only thing that makes tufte-quality visualizations in my experience is hand-building your graphs in tikz. The graphs you linked to are hideous from an aesthetics point of view; font's are ugly, data:ink ratio far too low, color choices poor etc.
- wwortiz 16y ago
  Especially when you have such pretty defaults in things like Matlab and Mathematica. Matplotlib (http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/ http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/) is actually the best opensource library for creating great looking graphs that I have come across, and is comparable to Matlab and Mathematica.
  - cdavid 16y ago
    I guess taste comes in place - I find producing good (as in academic publication good) figures in matlab an exercice of pain. The subplot mechanism is awful (at least was 5 years ago), and it is hard to control the layout. I heard mathematic is much better in that regard, but never used it myself.
  - sciboy 16y ago
    I've looked at matplotlib but still think it's ugly by default. Compare to: http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/weather-stations-data/ http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/weather-stations-data/ http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/rna-codons-table/ http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/rna-codons-table/ The beauty of tex font's + vector graphics is impressive. Try zooming in on the sparklines in the first example

sciboy 16y ago

I have used R/ggplot for a long time now, and it's exceedingly difficult to produce beautiful visualizations. The only thing that makes tufte-quality visualizations in my experience is hand-building your graphs in tikz. The graphs you linked to are hideous from an aesthetics point of view; font's are ugly, data:ink ratio far too low, color choices poor etc.

wwortiz 16y ago
Especially when you have such pretty defaults in things like Matlab and Mathematica. Matplotlib (http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/ http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/) is actually the best opensource library for creating great looking graphs that I have come across, and is comparable to Matlab and Mathematica.
- cdavid 16y ago
  I guess taste comes in place - I find producing good (as in academic publication good) figures in matlab an exercice of pain. The subplot mechanism is awful (at least was 5 years ago), and it is hard to control the layout. I heard mathematic is much better in that regard, but never used it myself.
- sciboy 16y ago
  I've looked at matplotlib but still think it's ugly by default. Compare to: http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/weather-stations-data/ http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/weather-stations-data/ http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/rna-codons-table/ http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/rna-codons-table/ The beauty of tex font's + vector graphics is impressive. Try zooming in on the sparklines in the first example