On Thu, 23 Feb 2006 15:32:11 -0600, "Morris Dovey"
wrote:

Guess who (in ) said:

| Graphmatica is shareware, but free for those who can't afford it [so
| just use it if you can't.] PhotoFiltre , or "The Gimp" are freeware
| image editors. OpenOffice is a great free office suite with a
| wordprocessor and spreadsheet and much more.

Wow! I downloaded Graphmatica and _really_ like it. Wish I'd had
something like this when I was in school...

Perhaps your kids can use it ..or theirs?

It's mostly math, but anyone doing wood modelling can find a use. A
parabolic arch is the best support [to do with the focus], so would
make a good support for benches, tables, and so on. CAD will draw the
circle and ellipse, but I don't know of one that will draw a parabolic
curve. There are always layout methods, which were likely used in the
past [e.g. by the Romans] since the computer wasn't available way back
then. Layout is still generally the best if not too tedious, and I'm
not sure yet on the best way to get a printout to scale for a large
project. I'll work on that, or offer something about the layout
procedure. ...in time; too busy right now.