[SciPy-user] [Numpy-discussion] [ANN] NumPy 0.9.6 released

[David M. Cooke]

Travis Oliphant <oliphant at ee.byu.edu> writes:

> mfmorss at aep.com wrote:
>
>>>We need some of these people to convert earlier than that, though, so we
>>>can make sure that 1.0 really is ready for prime time.  I think it's
>>>very close already or the version number wouldn't be so high.  We are
>>>just waiting for more people to start using it and report any issues
>>>that they have before going to 1.0 (I'd also like scalar math to be
>>>implemented pre 1.0 as well in case that requires any C-API additions).
>>>
>>>
>>
>>I can understand that, but here as a potential industrial users of Numpy,
>>we can't really afford the risk.  We're looking at Numpy as a key piece of
>>a Python replacement of commercial software for critical daily production.
>>If we build Numpy/Scipy into our system, it has to work.  We don't want to
>>be anyone's beta testers.
>>
>>
>>
> That's fine.  In your situation, you may need to wait until 1.0 before
> fully switching to NumPy.  But, of course you can start using it now.
>
> We will not be changing standard interfaces in NumPy.  Most of these
> are derived from Numeric which has been around for a long time.   The
> closer we get to 1.0, the less willing the developers will be to see
> things change.  On the Python-level, for example, I don't expect
> anything to change except for better support of array sub-classes
> (i.e. making sure they are preserved through more operations).
>
> On the C-level, there may be an additional C-API or two, but I don't
> see any significant changes to the C-API itself.   Because of the way
> the C-API is loaded, extension modules must be re-compiled if the
> C-API changes.  This is the only real headache at this point I think.

Only if it's a change that affects data structures or
previously-defined C API functions. Adding new C API functions
shouldn't affect old modules (because they're added on to the end of
the C API function list).

-- 
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|David M. Cooke                      http://arbutus.physics.mcmaster.ca/dmc/
|cookedm at physics.mcmaster.ca