[Edu-sig] The fate of vpython

[John Zelle]

I am also very concerned about this situation, as I think VPython is a 
wonderful tool (to which I've contributed). Unfortunately, I'm not really in 
any position to help out, as I am already over-stretched with my current 
commitments. I also fear that my C++ skills have somewhat atrophied, and the 
whole "boostification" of that project apparently steepened the learning 
curve significantly. I spent a little time trying to get the current beta to 
build and was not able to accomplish that (dependency issues). 

There was some talk a while back (related to pata-pata) about doing a "VPython 
in Python" using the PyOpenGL bindings. If I were seriously considering doing 
something to "resurrect" VPython, I would definitely consider going that 
route. It feels to me like the current VPython infrastructure is growing 
brittle and risks becoming a dead-end. Hopefully I'm wrong and some folks 
will pick up the development (scipy would be a good crew). I'd hate to have 
this tool fall into irrelevance.

--John


On Friday 06 October 2006 8:51 am, Arthur wrote:
> Dan Crosta wrote:
> >If the author of VPython is not planning to work on it for several
> >months
>
> The situation is that the actual authors of vpython are gone, as in
> graduated, moved on with their lives...
>
> Bruce is more an adminstrator/funder (through a NSF grant) of the project.
>
> Essentially there is no developer as such involved in the project at
> this point.  Which is why I am concerned.
>
> > and you aren't planning to do anything other than make it
> >compatible with a soon-to-be released version of one of its
> >dependencies (is that the relationship b/w VPython and NumPy?), then
> >why not carry on work from 4.0b5?
>
> Because it is has "serious bugs", and I have no motivation to even try
> to address those serious bugs at this time since they are
> less serious, to me, than the lack of NumPy compatibility.
>
> And because it is more realistic that I, working alone, might be  able
> to get to the Numpy issue - less so thatI can get to the bugs. I assume
> forward
> porting a Numpy fix would be a small issue - but, as I say, I am not
> counting on the 4.xxx branch getting revived and until it does I think it
> is more important to keep the 3.xxx branch alive and healthy.
>
> If nothing develops here I might take the route of trying to implore the
> scipy folks into taking some interest in the problem.  For them it might
> represent only a few hours work to at least get the Numpy compatibility
> issue resolved.  In fact, moving the project under the scipy umbrella
> might be just the thing.
>
> Except only that as part of scipy it will perceived in its more serious
> aspect and the fact that it makes a great little toy for beginners to
> play with will
> get lost..  This versality is what I think is so significant about the
> project, and why I have concerns as to its fate.
>
> Art
>
>
>
> Art
>
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-- 
John M. Zelle, Ph.D.             Wartburg College
Professor of Computer Science    Waverly, IA     
john.zelle at wartburg.edu          (319) 352-8360