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Base R graphics are a little like Matplotlib in being an organic API. I'd argue that Grid is a better starting point than base R, if you're planning to create a
by peatmoss 9y ago
Base R graphics are a little like Matplotlib in being an organic API. I'd argue that Grid is a better starting point than base R, if you're planning to create a reproducible plot type.
- nerdponx 9y agoOrganic in what sense? Other than "pch" it's much less magical than matplotlib (to me), and its primitives are exposed alongside the convenience functions like hist() with ugly defaults we all love to hate. I will agree on reproducibility and portability across graphics devices (not to mention actoss installations). Grid takes care of so much annoyance in that regard.
- peatmoss 9y agoYeah, the mishmash of convenience functions and pch were pretty much exactly what I was thinking about. Also, I will vehemently agree that base R graphics are still far less magical than matplotlib. So, I guess I meant "like matplotlib, but to a far less extreme degree" :-)
- nerdponx 9y agoI definitely am not a fan of R's inconvenient convenience functions. A saner set of wrappers for R base graphics is on my long to-do list, at least something with better defaults. Someone had started a project that goes in the right direction called "compactr", but it seems abandoned: https://cran.r-project.org/package=compactr https://cran.r-project.org/package=compactr