[AstroPy] Ureka 1.0 beta 6 is now available

[Christine Slocum]

STScI and Gemini are announcing the release of Ureka 1.0 beta 6.  This is
a minor update which includes some upgraded Python packages and a few bug
fixes.

New/upgraded packages:

  - Python 2.7.5
  - NumPy 1.7.1
  - Matplotlib 1.3.0
  - SciPy 0.12.0
  - pandas 0.12.0
  - scikit-image 0.7.1
  - scikit-learn 0.13.1
  - HDF5 1.8.11
  - yolk 0.4.3
  - wheel 0.21.0
  - pip 1.4
  - virtualenv 1.10
  - Parsely 1.2
  - Pillow 2.0.0

Ureka is a binary packaging installer for common astronomical software
(primarily for the UV/Optical/IR community).  The goals of the Ureka
installer are to:

1) minimize the number of actions needed to install all the different
software components.  We are seeking a "one button install" (it's not
quite one button, but not far from it).

2) permit installation without requiring system privileges.

3) make installs as problem-free as possible for the great majority of
users.

4) allow users to install their own software (particularly Python-based)
within this framework, or update versions of software within the framework.

5) permit different Ureka installations to coexist and to easily switch
between them.

6) enable installing different versions of the same software package under
a particular Ureka installation.

7) support Macs and most popular Linux variants.

Ureka does not use LD_LIBRARY_PATH (or its Mac equivalent) and thus should
not affect existing software after installation or use.

Keep in mind that no installation system is completely foolproof (that's
very nearly impossible to achieve).  In particular, when users update or
add software to the Ureka framework, they increase the risk of breaking
something, but we feel that is an option that users should have as long as
they understand the possible risks.

This beta version includes IRAF and associated packages for IRAF, DS9, and
a fairly full suite of Python scientific software packages (e.g., numpy,
scipy, and matplotlib).  The full listing of included software can be
found at this link:
http://ssb.stsci.edu/ureka/1.0beta6/docs/components.html

Ureka can be downloaded from: http://ssb.stsci.edu/ureka/ (choose "1.0
beta 6").  Installation and usage instructions can be found on the same
web page.

This is a beta release.  We do expect to uncover some problems that
testing at Gemini and STScI did not encounter.  If you do find problems,
please let us know (help at stsci.edu).  Feedback on additional software
components that would be considered generally essential for this
distribution is also welcome.