Robot - a scientific graph plotting and data analysis tool
        ----------------------------------------------------------

The program "robot" is available by anonymous ftp from
ftp.astro.psu.edu.

See also http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/SOF/robot.html


Main Features of Robot
----------------------
* Graph plotting in various styles - error bars, histogram,
        symbols, lines, dashed lines etc. Linear or logarithmic axes.
* Data manipulation - arithmetic, functions, Fourier transforms, smoothing,
        folding, sorting.
* Fitting to data using built in functions such as Gaussians,
        polynomials, Lorentzians, and/or a user defined function.
* Annotation of graphs with text in various styles, simple
        drawing tools.
* Interaction with Robot is via pull-down menus, buttons
        etc. and/or a pseudo command line type interface.
* Commands are stored in log files for later play back, editing etc. 
* Command files  can also include basic programming constructs:
        loops, if tests, user defined variables.
* Multi-color plots. Multiple plots per page. Multiple pages.
* Output in PostScript format.


Requirements
------------
Robot is XView based (version 3). User interface portions of code are
written in 'C'. Data manipulation code is written in FORTRAN. Hence the
public domain f2c package (available from netlib.att.com) or a
FORTRAN compiler is required.
Alternatively, binaries for LINUX, Sun's and DECstations are also
available by anonymous ftp. Robot has also been compiled and run
on a DEC alpha with OSF/1.


The full distribution (source, documentation etc.) takes up about
2.0Mbytes of disc space and the executable consumes approximately 1.4
Mbytes of RAM or greater (depending on the size of the data files being
plotted).

Availability
------------
By anonymous ftp from ftp.astro.psu.edu in the directory pub/astrod.

The relevant files are:
robotx-.--.tar.gz        - Full source, plotting library, example scripts,
                          documentation etc. 
                          "-.--" is the version number, e.g. the file
                           may be robotx4.90.tar.gz
robot-beta.tar.gz       - most recent but less tested version of the above.
			  				
RobotManual.ps.Z        - just the documentation.
robot.sun4.gz            - binary built on a SPARCstation (SunOS4.1.3).
robot.dec.Z             - binary built on a DECstation (Ultrix).
robot.linux.gz          - binary built on an IBM PC clone (LINUX).
                          (compressed with gzip)
robot.osf.gz		- binary built on a DEC Alpha (OSF/1) machine
			  N.B. This is _not_ a static binary. Get XView from
ftp.cs.cmu.edu:/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mjchan/pub/xview3.2-alpha-dist.tar.gz


Reference
---------
Corbet, R.H.D., Larkin, C. & Nousek, J.A.  Proceedings of "Astronomical
Data Analysis and Software Systems", Tucson, November, 1991. ASP
Conference Series, 1992, 25, 106. (ISBN 0-937707-44-9)


Robin Corbet                                |  corbet@lheamail.gsfc.nasa.gov 
Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics     |  
Code 662                                    |  
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center            |
Greenbelt, MD 20771                         |
USA                                         |