[IronPython] RE: Numpy port

[Morgan Martinet]

> I wouldn't call the FORTRAN "legacy code". People are still using BLAS 
> and such because the FORTRAN code performs better. These routines have 
> been rewritten many times in C, C++, and Java and people still use the 
> FORTRAN simply because it does a better job. Numerical solutions are 
> what FORTRAN was originally designed for.
> 
> In other words, better to find some way to wrap BLAS for IronPython or 
> CLR rather than rewrite the routines yet again.

I think there are 2 possibilities:
- map the fortran DLL using interop, but this will add a cost for each API
call
- use the fact that .Net was primarily designed for cross languages and try
to use an existing Fortran for .Net compiler. I googled a little and found
http://www.lahey.com/lf71/lf71.htm
http://www.codeproject.com/dotnet/intro_fortran.asp
http://www.silverfrost.com/11/ftn95/overview.asp

The problem is that they're not free and I don't know if we can distribute
their runtime assemblies as part of IronPython...


Morgan