PiScript

We are going to be working with a program I call PiScript, which is largely a Python interface to PostScript. PostScript is itself the programming language used by printers (the machines); Python is a programming language that was developed a bit more than 15 years ago, and it has recently become justifiably popular.

I first developed PiScript as drawing tool around 4 years ago, and it has grown since. I use it myself almost exclusively to produce graphics in mathematics.

A principal feature of PiScript is how it allows TEX to be placed in figures.

• Manual for PiScript (.pdf) (including a short outline of Python in an appendix)
• Home page of Python

There is a home page for PiScript, which ought to be useful. You can download the PiScript libraries there in the file piscript-1.00.tar.gz, which is the current version.

As I have said, you do not have to download your own copy of this yet - the package will be available on BMS computers in my home directory, and it is this copy that will incorporate bug fixes I make during the workshop.