On 04/01/15 17:22, Konrad Hinsen wrote:
There are two different scenarios to consider here, and perhaps I didn't make that distinction clear enough. One scenario is that of a maintained library or application that depends on NumPy. The other scenario is a set of scripts written for a specific study (let's say a thesis) that is then published for its documentation value. Such scripts are in general not maintained.
It's the second scenario where gradual changes are a real problem.
Suppose I have a set of scripts from a thesis published in year X, and I need to understand them in detail in year X+5 for a related scientific project. If the script produces different results with NumPy 1.7 and NumPy 1.10, which result should I assume the author intended?
A scientific paper or thesis should be written so it is completely reproducible. That would include describing the computer, OS, Python version and NumPy version, as well as C or Fortran compiler. I will happily fail any student who writes a thesis without providing such details, and if I review a research paper for a journal you can be sure I will ask that is corrected. Sturla