nPlot project goals
nPlot aims to be free, minimalistic data visualisation and analysis tool capable of producing high quality charts.
But what exactly does it mean to be minimalistic? Basically, being as simple as possible but not simpler (to use Einstein's phrase). nPlot is actually trying to satisfy a kind of min-max principle – minimize the efforts and maximize results.
It means two things. First, being content-centric; focusing on content, not the form. Consider TeX for example and compare it with WYSIWIG/WYSIAYG word processors, where you need to think about formatting, aligning and all the other stuff having nothing to do with content and logical structure of the document.
Second, being easy to use and master, allowing user to do desired work quickly and efficiently. It also involves feature-completeness.
nPlot is not trying to be a 'clone' of any existing software, but is open to good ideas.
Those are very ambitious and long-term goals and nPlot isn't anywhere near achieving them, but a little of determination and HUGE amount of work should be just enough:)
Now, consider another motto: