Re: RSI / CreaSo survey: Whish list

[zawodny(at)arbd0.larc.nasa.gov (Joseph M Zawodny)]

Well since a few other folks are airing their wishes, here are mine.

- IDL Compiler for development of standalone applications.  Yes I would
  like to distribute or even sell some programs without requiring the end
  user to shuck out $1500 for IDL first.  Now if IDL was only a couple
  of hundred bucks well... maybe we would not need this capability.  I would
  not mind buying this compiler as a separate option.

- Multi threading for asynchronous widget event processing (eg. this could
  get you your desired command prompt while running a widget).

- WYSIWYG for printing (sorely needed and a very high priority on my list)

- Lower cost for IDL for Linux for current licensed users (like $250)

- The Hypertext help needs a lot of work (too slow and search engine lousy)

- Standardized parameter order for similar functions (like INTERPOLATE
  and ITNERPOL, SPLINE, ...)

- Special widgets for low res (ie notebook computer) displays.  These should
  be "micro sized" and expand to usable/readable size when the cursor passes
  over them.

- Dual color tables.  One for "standard items" such as foreground/ background
  axis lines and labels (this might be only 2-5 colors in length).  The
  second for color images and contour plots.  This way there would be no need
  for twiddling either fore/back-ground keywords or scaling images to fit
  above, below, or between the "standard colors" in a single color table.
  If you have run into the problem, then you know what I mean.  Maybe this
  could be implemented by adding a few system variables.

-- 
 Dr. Joseph M. Zawodny       KO4LW              NASA Langley Research Center
 E-mail: J.M.Zawodny@LaRC.NASA.gov              MS-475, Hampton VA, 23681-0001