[Numpy-discussion] NumPy 1.2.0b2 released

[Robert Kern]

On Fri, Aug 15, 2008 at 02:59, Stéfan van der Walt <stefan@sun.ac.za> wrote:
> 2008/8/15 Robert Kern <robert.kern@gmail.com>:
>> The devil is in the details. What exactly do you propose? When we
>> discussed this last time, the participants more or less agreed that
>> environment variables could cause more fragility than they're worth.
>> It also breaks the first time you try to import a numpy-using library
>> that was not written with this in mind. Basically, you're stuck with
>> only code that you've written.
>
> First, I propose that I write some code.  Second, I do not suggest the
> behaviour above, but:
>
> 1) Expose a new interface to numpy, called numpy.api
> 2) If a certain environment variable is set, the numpy namespace is
> not populated, and numpy.api becomes  instantaneous to load.
>
> Even if the user forgets to set the variable, everything works as
> planned.  If the user is aware of the variable, he won't be using
> numpy the normal way, so the fact that numpy.* is not available won't
> matter.

I'm afraid that I still don't understand. Please expand on the
following four cases (let's call the environment variable
NUMPY_FAST_IMPORT):

1) NUMPY_FAST_IMPORT=0  (or simply absent)
   import numpy
   print dir(numpy)

2) NUMPY_FAST_IMPORT=0
   import numpy.api
   print dir(numpy.api)

3) NUMPY_FAST_IMPORT=1
   import numpy
   print dir(numpy)

4) NUMPY_FAST_IMPORT=1
   import numpy.api
   print dir(numpy.api)

-- 
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless
enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as
though it had an underlying truth."
 -- Umberto Eco