Re: [Gretl-devel] functions vs commands (was Re: Octave support)
On Wed, 3 Mar 2010, Sven Schreiber wrote:
Allin Cottrell schrieb:
> So the idea (or at least, my idea, but I think it's Jack's) is
> that if we're going to do a substantial clean-up we have to
> sweeten the deal with some substantial new functionality. "It's
> worth the bother of updating your old gretl scripts because look
> what new gretl is offering!"
I'm just not sure this will work. I venture the guess that most users
use gretl for what it can do already, and they are not waiting
desparately for new features.
Maybe so, in respect of the majority of current users (though we
do get new feature requests quite regularly, more often via the
lists then via the SF tracker).
But that doesn't really engage with the point Jack was making,
namely that it would be nice to make a pitch to a constituency
that is potentially interested in gretl, but thinks it's not
really functional enough (yet) to play in the big league. And a
step to "version 2.0" (however arbitrary in itself) might be
helpful in that regard, especially if accompanied by the addition
of some sought-after estimators.
I should say that I'm not really making this argument on my own
account -- I'm not involved in the teaching of econometrics at the
postgraduate level -- but I'm willing to assume that Jack's
impressions are valid unless proved otherwise.
Allin.