"Christos Siopis <siopis@umich.edu>" <siopis@umich.edu> writes:
Don't take me wrong, i am not saying that Numpy, PDL, GSL & co. should be somehow "merged" --obviously, one needs different wrappers to call numerical routines from Python, Perl, C, C++ or Java. But there should be a way so that the actual *implementation* of the numerical algorithms is only done once and for all.
I agree that sounds nice in theory. But even if it were technically feasible (which I doubt) given the language differences, it would be a development project that is simply too big for scientists to handle as a side job, even if they were willing (which again I doubt). My impression is that the organizational aspects of software development are often neglected. Some people are good programmers but can't work well in teams. Others can work in teams, but are not good coordinators. A big project requires at least one, if not several, people who are good scientist and programmers, have coordinator skills, and a job description that permits them to take up the task. Plus a larger number of people who are good scientists and programmers and can work in teams. Finally, all of these have to agree on languages, design principles, etc. Konrad. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Konrad Hinsen | E-Mail: hinsen@cnrs-orleans.fr Centre de Biophysique Moleculaire (CNRS) | Tel.: +33-2.38.25.56.24 Rue Charles Sadron | Fax: +33-2.38.63.15.17 45071 Orleans Cedex 2 | Deutsch/Esperanto/English/ France | Nederlands/Francais -------------------------------------------------------------------------------