[SciPy-dev] Numpy/Cython Google Summer of Code project idea

[Robert Kern]

On Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 7:29 PM, John Ollinger <ollinger@wisc.edu> wrote:
> Fernando,
>
> When I wrap a C package I spend 95% of my time modifying the package to run
> as a library and 5% of the time hand-wrapping it for python.  I find that
> hand-wrapping makes me more aware of the interface than using swig, so I can
> recode portions of the library to make the overall package work better.  A
> quick look at the cyrex documentation makes me wonder if it is primarily
> written for those who haven't written much C-code..  Is this an accurate
> impression?

No. Using Cython or Pyrex eliminates an enormous amount of the
boilerplate involved in writing a C extension especially when it comes
to implementing types. They are definitely not the same kind of tool
that SWIG is. Instead, they are tools to make hand-wrapping less
painful, perhaps even pleasant.

-- 
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