[Edu-sig] Properties use case

[Arthur]

> >From: Michael Tobis [mailto:mtobis at gmail.com] 
> >
> >Note that when you stray from pure python you shrink your 
> >user base and complicate your support issues substantially.
> >

Haven't had the opportunity to code much anew, but am still replaying to
myself where I am with these issues, and in the context of the discussion.

When Kirby mentioned that he was not using Numeric for the purposes of his
pedagogical approach to programming and numerics, I said - right on, why
would you unless it was necessary. More transparency.

And so realizing that 
a) my objectives are most fundamentally pedagogical  
b) Numeric is not playing nice with me at the moment 
c) I am only using 1% of the capacity of Numeric to do heavyweight array
processing
d) When I look  into the code that Numeric needs to use to talk to - say -
laplack, we begin to approach *my* definition of creepy.
e) """Note that when you stray from pure python you shrink your 
   user base and complicate your support issues substantially."""

For example, numpy's documentation is not free, at the moment.

I am of course thinking whether I have been knee-jerk in bringing Numeric
into play as a fundamental tool for my application.

Which I why I then move on to trying to get serious about gaining some
profiling skills.  Gain some intelligence about the trade-offs of doing the
kind of simple linear algebra my application requires in pure Python, versus
what I may gaining by the creepy calls to laplack.

Judgment calls need to be made in the end, but I take them seriously enough
to want them to be informed judgment calls.  

No conclusions as yet.

Art