Software
The Ultimate Solution for Technical Graphics?
Origin Microcal Software One Roundhouse Plaza Northampton, MA 01060 800-969-7720; 413-586-2013; 413-5850126 (fax);
[email protected] (e-mail) Version 3.5; $495, commercial ($545 with 3D/Contour supplement); $396, academic ($436 with 3D/Contour supplement)
(Warp) or a 60-MHz Pentium running Windows for Workgroups. Both machines had 16 MB RAM. On these computers, Origin loaded and performed crisply. The machine requirements of the program are extremely modest. The manual says it will run on "any computer on which Windows will operate properly," and installation requires only about 3 MB of disk space. It is refreshing to see this powerful program require such modest resources. During testing, the one call I made to Microcal for technical support was handled efficiently and courteously.
phy of "layers" in Origin, how to resize plots, how to use the tools on the tool menu, and a bit about how to customize the user interface. The bulk of the user manual is devoted to detailing the commands on the menus and submenus. The Labtalk manual focuses on the scripting language that is the basis of Origin. With this full-featured, C-like language, the user can create very elaborate custom applications, but in my opinion, only experienced C programmers will have much success with Labtalk and few users will require its capabilities.
Documentât ion Ease of use and flexibility The tutorial manual is the first and, for Origin is easy to use after you adjust to many users, the only manual supplied that some of its conventions. For example, colwill be used on a regular basis. Although umn titles are reserved words. That is, x, it tends to be verbose, it is easy to follow, y, error bars, and text are defined by the usually accurate, and presents examples column titles. Atfirstthat seemed rather Origin, self-proclaimed as "The Ultimate that are appropriate in both level and awkward, but actually in practice it turns Solution," is a full-featured graphics proscope for the average user of a technical out to be very useful. Simple plots can be gram aimed at the scientific market. As plotting package. The 3D/Contour supple- created with a few mouse clicks. Adding such, its obvious competitors include Janment is essentially an addition to the tuto- more data and plots to previously dedel Scientific's Sigma Plot and Software rial manual. The reference manual covers fined graphs and preparing plots with erPublishing Corporation's Harvard Graph- some general points about the philosoror bars, operations that are difficult with ics, as well as spreadsheets such as Microsoft's Excel and Novell's Quattro Pro that offer increasingly potent graphics caEwmÊÊÊmmÊmÊÊ^^mimmmmmmmsmmmmsmm pabilities. flic £dft QpHaws Pqy £hrt Qit» M«* Ft ___* Origin, which arrives in a nifty blue slipcase, installs quickly and easily under Windows. The package includes a reference manual; a manual describing Labtalk, the software's macro language; a tutorial manual; and a small pamphlet describing the 3D/Contour Supplement. A minor quibble is that two identical icons are produced if you install both Origin and the 3D/Contour Supplement: one labeled Origin 3.5 and the other labeled 3D + Contour 3.5. In fact, the second program includes all the features of the first plus some expanded ones. It is not clear why, in the contemporary market, Microcal considers the 3D capabilities an option. Almost all the testing was done on ei(Left) Origin's powerful linear regression offers convenient fitting using the toolbar. (Right) ther a 66-MHz 486 running Windows for The interactive curve fitter allows users to fit data to built-in and user-defined functions Workgroups as a task under OS/2 3.0 with the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. 424 A
Analytical Chemistry, July 1, 1995
some graphing programs, are simple with Origin. Customizing the features of a plot is convenient: Simply click on the feature of interest (e.g., a title, an axis, or a line) and a menu pops up. Anyone familiar with plotting programs should be able to produce attractive plots in a short time. Unfortunately, there are several areas in which this program does not follow normal Windows conventions for handling screen objects, one of which is the resizing of plots. The more advanced features of the program such as curve fitting with user-defined functions and complex data manipulation are sometimes difficult and nonintuitive. Mathematical power Origin contains powerful facilities for transforming data and statistics and for curve fitting. Data can be fit to a function of the user's design or the user can select from an extensive list of common functions supplied. In reasonable (and some not so reasonable) cases, the iterative fitting process converged rapidly and correctly. Once entered, user-defined functions can be saved to become menuselectable items in the program. In addition, Origin supports arichvariety of mathematical and statistical functions and even includes the obligatory Fourier transform, although one might well ask whether many users actually do FFTs with their plotting programs and spreadsheets. One caveat here: Confidence intervals in Origin are not what many users will expect. The common Student's / calculation of confidence limits has been replaced by a differential treatment. Put another way, physicists and some physical chemists will be pleased and many of the rest of us will be caught completely by surprise. I believe that Origin is at least the equal of any plotting program available in terms of its rich array of mathematical capabilities. Windows compatibility Finally, any true Windows application should facilitate the exchange of data and
graphics among other Windows applicaSOFTWARE RELEASED tions. This was tested using WordPerfect for Windows 6.1, Word for Windows 6.0, CARD and Excel 5.0. Westing Software Inc. Naturally, any veteran Windows user 134 Redwood Ave. does not expect data transfer and dynamic Corte Madera, CA 94925 data exchange links to work correctly in 800-325-1862; 415-945-3877 (fax); all cases, and Origin is no exception. Di-
[email protected] (e-mail) rect cutting and pasting was flawless. Version 4.0; $495 Linking data and graphics between Origin and both Word and WordPerfect as cli- CARD (Computer Aided Research and Deents worked, but the automatic update velopment) , an advanced program for defailed. Although Word was able to update sign of experiments, defines experiment the link to Origin when asked, WordPerfectgoals, evaluates design options, genercould not. Origin could update both cliates structured analysis-ready data matrients when asked. As a client for a data link ces, and organizes the most efficient testwith Excel, Origin functioned flawlessly. ing procedure. It handles all types of variAll things considered, I found compatibil- ables as well as multiple constraints and ity with Windows applications to be well features an online navigator to guide uswithin the expected norms. ers to the correct experimental design for each application. Minimum system reSummary quirements include DOS 3.1, Windows 3.1, If there are scientific and technical grapha 386 CPU, 4 MB RAM (8 MB recomics in your future, would this software mended), 10 MB free hard disk space, a program be a wise purchase? The simple mouse or Windows-compatible pointing answer to this question is yes, although device, and a VGA monitor. the more detailed answer is not quite so simple. gNMR Origin is the most flexible scientific Cherwell Scientific graphics program I ever have used. How744 San Antonio Rd., Ste. 27A ever, the user interface can be confusing Palo Alto, CA 94303 and screen handling is sloppy. The pro415-852-0720; 415-852-0723 (lax); gram does not appear to have any fatal
[email protected] (e-mail) bugs, but it does have some. The good Version 1.0; $599 news is that most of the bugs are in the area of screen handling and, although they gNMR is a Macintosh program that simuare annoying, they do not seem to be seri- lates one-dimensional NMR spectra and ous. In all tests, the desired graphs could performs iterative calculations tofitcalcube prepared and the printed plots were of lated spectra to experimental spectra. Usprofessional quality. ers can choose between two basic fitting procedures: assignment iteration, which If you want a powerful graphics program that offers the ultimate in flexibility uses individual peak position as oband are willing to overlook minorflawsin served data, and full-lineshape iteration, which uses a generalized least-squares screen handling, Origin is a very good choice. One thing is sure: If you can imag- procedure tofitthe entire calculated specine it, Origin can plot it. Is Origin "The trum to the observed one. The software, which imports experimental spectra from Ultimate Solution"? No, not yet, but stay a wide variety of sources, runs on all tuned. Macs and requires System 6.05 or higher, Reviewed by John C. Marshall, Depart1.5 MB RAM (4 MB recommended), and ment of Chemistry, St. Olaf College, North4.5 MB free hard disk space. field, MN Analytical Chemistry, July 1, 1995 4 2 5 A
