[IPython-dev] Why .py files?

[Fernando Perez]

Edward K. Ream wrote:
>>Some of the arguments for using *.py files, and the eventual rejection
>>of these arguments in favor of XML, as well as Robert Kern's prototype
>>implementation which uses XML as a storage format, have been discussed
>>exhaustively on this list in the last few weeks
> 
> 
> So notebooks are xml files and not .py files?  In that case, what, if any, 
> of the original proposal remains valid?  Is there a summary of the present 
> proposal?

I haven't (and I'm not going to) write a new formal proposal.  The original 
one was a working draft, and in the discussions John pointed to, we hashed out 
a new direction.  Robert has put up this info here:

http://www.scipy.org/wikis/featurerequests/NoteBook

There are links to the prototype code he has written using ElementTree there. 
  Toni and Tzanko are finishing up some school-related things, so I expect 
that we'll begin moving into production by next week.

Cheers,

f