What is SM (supermongo)?

SM (supermongo) is an interactive plotting package for drawing graphs written by Robert Lupton and Patricia Monger. It has some capability to handle image data, but mostly works with vectors. The main features of the package are:

• one can generate a plot with a minimum number of simple commands,
• one can view the plot on the screen and then with a simple set of
  commands send the same plot to a hardcopy device,
• one can build and save plot subroutines to be invoked with a single
  user-defined command,
• the program keeps a history of plot commands which can be edited and
  defined as a plot subroutine, to be reused,
• one can define the data to be plotted from within the program, or read
  them from an ASCII file.

How are data presented to SM?

SM is used as a plotting package, invoked after the data have been generated,
to produce graphical output as a second step. It can also be invoked from
within a program, but at the sacrifice of the interactive capabilities
that are its true strength. Plot vectors may be generated in several ways:

(a) One may read the values from an ASCII file using the read command (in row
or column format, specified columns/rows are named as vectors for
plotting, while other columns or rows of information in the file can be
ignored and lines may be skipped in the file). Data can be numeric or
alphabetic.

(b) One can define vectors within SM using the set command in several forms:

• define a vector with a list of values
• define a vector in terms of arithmetic operations on previously-defined
  vectors using built-in operators: sin, cos, tan, acos, asin, atan, atan2,
  abs, int, lg, exp, ln, sqrt, concat, **, + -, * and /
• define vectors with implied do-loops
• define vectors with random numbers, uniform or gaussian

(c) one can redefine an existing vector, element by element, with a do loop

(d) one can create a set of values by fitting a spline function to previously
defined values at specified intermediate points

(e) one can enter values with the graphics cursor on the screen

What are the steps in producing a basic plot?

The steps to produce a graph, once data have been provided to SM are:
define the plot device, define the data file, read in data vectors, define axis
limits, draw axes, plot the data (as points or as a connected curve - type of
line or of points can be selected), label the axes (various fonts available).
There are various other more elaborate commands to enable logarithmic axes,
labelling curves, putting an ID on the plot, reading positions from the plot
with a cursor, getting statistics on vectors (mean, sigma, kurtosis, linear
regression coefficients, Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, etc), manipulating 2-d data
and much more.

Handling 2-d data

SM has some capability to handle image data. A few standard types of binary
files have been defined which should, we hope, cover the majority of cases.
Once one has read in the image, one can contour it with the contour command
(first defining levels), and one can take a slice through it. The newest
release (2.3) also supports "wire frame" displays of image data, and greyscale.

Availability of SM

System Requirements:

SM runs on Unix and Unix-variant systems (yes, including Linux) and VMS
systems as well as
on DOS PCs, under Windows (using Borland C++ v3), and
under OS/2. It also runs on Mac OSX but not on previous versions of MacOS
(A/UX works, however).

SM has drivers for Sunview, any form of X11, SGI, various tek401x emulators,
VMS UIS, LN03, Imagen impress, QMS quic, HP Laserjet, and Postscript laser
printers (also color and encapsulated postscript), raster devices, HPGL, REGIS
graphics, and several odd (and likely obsolete) graphics terminals. The PC

implementation uses Borland's BGI drivers, so works for any devices supported
by that library.

Cost:

SM is available for $300 U.S., $375 Canadian to university departments, or
small colleges. A
university-wide site license is $1500 U.S., $1900 Canadian. Prices for
commercial or government agencies are $500 U.S. for a department, $2500 U.S.
for an entire site.

You only buy it once - the license entitles you to unlimited free upgrades.
The distribution includes the source, documentation (TeX files), and
permission to install the program on all the machines at your site.

Payment is by check or money order in US dollars made payable to
Patricia Monger, or by bank transfer. There is a $35 additional charge to
cover bank fees if you pay by bank transfer (unless you are able to arrange
through your bank that all fees will be covered by you), or if the check
does not have the standard bank MICR encoding on it.

Restrictions:

SM is not for sale to groups who want to use it for weapons related research
projects for the military agencies of any country.

Distribution:

SM is distributed by ftp. If you absolutely must have a tape or CD
we can probably arrange it.

Contact:

If you have further questions, please send mail to
monger@mcmaster.ca.