Is there a program (or widget) for making simple x/y graphs and charts/

Hey, thanks for all the tips, everybody. I'm checking these things out one by one. So far, the programs seem too complicated for what I want. The simplest ones don't seem flexible enough or interactive enough, but I'm going to take a closer look at those.

Some use all sorts of jargon, assuming you've been making graphs since you were 12. I don't know why no one has designed a graph making program that works by a series of simple questions. What would you like to track in your x axis? (Time) What units would you like it to be tracked in? (Days). What would you like to track in your y axis? (Number of pages written.) What are the minimum and maximum numbers? How do you want your units tracked (singly, in units of 5, 10, etc?) Would you like your data automatically input into other graphs? Yes (Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly versions of the same information.) Surely such time graphs are the most common, and yet no one seems to have a template for them.

I know programs such as Excel will be capable of making this graph, but it has a completely (to me) intimidating interface. The chart wizard is pretty opaque and inflexible. And the help file was obviously compiled by someone who made charts as a kid when everyone else was playing baseball. Type in "Enter Data" and it won't tell you how to do that. Same with "input data" or "new data." I've been using computers since 1985, DOS, Macs, Windows, and if I can't use this software, I can't imagine how students or seniors would deal with it. I notice that the Web is full of ads for courses in Excel. That says it all right there.

My rant for today. I do appreciate the help, everyone, and I will try all these things out.

I fear my previous post may have sounded rude, and I apologize if it did. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful for the suggestions, I was just 1)venting my frustration at how difficult it is proving to perform a simple task and 2) wondering aloud that isn't it remarkable that such a task should not have a simple software solution.

I also freely acknowledge my limitations in math and statistics, having never had anything to do with either of them since high school. I also know that there are plenty of programs that CAN perform this task, but it is amazing to me how user-hostile they are. If you assume that the user is coming to this with no particular math or stats expertise, the interfaces IMHO look preposterous.

Jeff, I took a look at Plot again, and did what you suggested. First I typed a list of 7 dates in one column, and a list of increasing numbers in the next. I couldn't paste it into Plot. So I went back and removed the month names from the list of dates, leaving only the numbers (thus excluding one of the two crucial pieces of information). This time it was easy to paste, and I was encouraged by how a graph instantly formed in more or less the shape I wanted. Of course the X axis was not labeled so there was no way of actually reading the graph, but it's a good beginning.

But then comes the interface. You want to know how to indicate that the x axis represents daily increments in the course of a month (or a year, or a week). Open Help and you get taken to the company home page (not usually what you want). Type in timeline, and you get nothing. Type in time, and you get Time Format. Right near the top it says "To convert a UNIX time to a Plot time simply subtract 978307200.0 from the UNIX time." That may mean something to someone, but it doesn't to me. Underneath this, there's a list of Time Format Tokes. Tokes? Underneath this, a long list of things like "%a, %A, %b" etc. Type in "year" and you get 3 selections. So you choose "Axis", and it says, "If your axis is a time axis you have to enter days:hours:minutes:seconds." No mention of the year, notice. I typed it in anyway, and absolutely nothing happened. Tried some variations, nothing happened. Enough.

Now, I don't doubt that if I spent hours on the Web with their Help, and a lot of trial and error, that I would eventually get a graph I liked. But I remain amazed that in this day and age software isn't easier to use. The simplest tryout with a novice would show a developer what would make it infinitely easier to use. Why not templates with various time axes available? Why not a question and response system. It seems like a no-brainer. Since the beginning of computers, the idea has been that you enter data, and then the software does something with it. But programs still come along that make it quite mysterious as to how you enter data--and then they don't do much with it, until you devote your life to studying the documentation. Imagine how popular Quicken would be if you could only "import" data, and not type it in, or if you had to input the monetary system every time, and explain that you were using the Gregorian Calendar--or Mac and not Unix for that matter.

I just used Craigslist for the first time on Saturday and found it a complete delight. Does exactly what you want it to do--faster, easier, cheaper, and better in all ways to what we previously had for classified ads. That's what I would consider a good program, and it amazes me how difficult most programs are, even to the computer-savvy. Again, this is just my expression of dismay, and is in no way intended to minimize the usefulness of this forum--which I use a LOT, and find easy, responsive and friendly. All best, everyone.