In his landmark book the visual display of Quantitative Information (Graphics Press reprint edition, 1992), Edward Tufte devotes an entire chapter to "chartjunk." Quoth the graph-master: "The interior decoration of graphics generates a lot of ink that does not tell the viewer anything new." Substitute "pixels" for "ink," and this statement applies to computer-generated charts and graphics that can be drawn faster than they can be discarded. Whether your design specification included charting from the beginning or users screamed for it at the eleventh hour, it's worth looking at third-party charting engines simply to benefit from the years of refinement that produced layout and drawing engines. Making a simple chart is a snap, but professional charts that respond well to wide ranges of data are no easy task. Fortunately, some great .NET charting engines are now available for a raft of applications.
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