[Numpy-discussion] Data type change completed

[Travis Oliphant]

I've committed the data-type change discussed at the end of last week to 
the SVN repository.  Now the concept of a data type for an array has 
been replaced with a "data-descriptor".  This data-descriptor is 
flexible enough to handle an arbitrary record specification with fields 
that include records and arrays or arrays of records.  While nesting may 
not be the best data-layout for a new design, when memory-mapping an 
arbitrary fixed-record-length file, this capability allows you to handle 
even the most obsure record file.

While the basic core tests pass for me, there may be lurking problems 
and so testing of the SVN trunk of scipy core will be appreciated.  I've 
bumped up the version number because the C-API has changed (a few new 
functions and some functions becoming macros). 

I'd like to make a release of the new version by the end of the week (as 
soon as Chris Hanley at STSCI and I get records.py working better), so 
please test.

Recently some intel c-compiler tests were failing on a 64-bit platform.  
It would be nice to figure out why that is happening as well, but I will 
probably not have time for that this week.

Thanks,

-Travis