[PYTHON MATRIX-SIG] Reposting of the FAQ

[James Hugunin]

This FAQ needs to be updated, and should be put on the web somewhere
so that I can just put a pointer here occasionally.  But, until the
semester is over here that's not going to happen, so here's my brief
FAQ again for newbies to the list.  (To the rest of you I apologize).

-Jim


Written by Jim Hugunin (hugunin@mit.edu) on April 25, 1996.

1) What's Numerical Python?

Here should really go Paul's humorous depiction of Monty's more
serious brother, but I don't have that right now, so the high level
stuff will have to wait.


2) Where do I get it?

ftp://sls-ftp.lcs.mit.edu/pub/jjh/NumericalPython-0.36.tar.gz

This is the latest version.  New versions will be made available at
this location.


3) Is there any documentation?

There's incomplete online documentation written by David Ascher for a
course he taught using Numerical Python at:
http://maigret.cog.brown.edu/python/arraytut.html

There's a paper soon to be published in Computers and Physics written
by Dubois, Hinsen and Hugunin at:
ftp://ftp-icf.llnl.gov/pub/basis/numerical_python.ps

There's my talk from the 3rd python workshop at:
http://www.python.org/workshops/1995-12/papers/hugunin.html


4) What modules are available that use Numerical python?

(Note: I know that this needs pointers, I just don't have the time to
put them together today)

Tom Schwaller's delaunaymodule and trimodule

Tom's and my opengl, glu, and glut modules

Paul DuBois' URNGmodule

Doug Heisterkamp's interface to the LAPACK libraries at:
ftp://ftp.cs.unl.edu/pub/drh/python/pylapack.0.02.tar.gz


5) What are the future plans?

First goal is a general release to the python community.  Before this
happens, I want a somewhat finalized API (which Konrad seems to have
provided) implemented (for which I just need some free time).  I don't
want to have too many users developing code with the system before the
API is at least closer to its final form (to minimize the changes they
need to make).

On the other hand, the C API is essentially final.  I'm perfectly
willing to guarantee that I won't introduce any major
incompatibilities in subsequent release of the system.  This means
that people have no excuse not to develop modules to interface to all
that great C/FORTRAN numerical code out there.

Obviously the ultimate goal is to have this a part of the base python
distribution.  I'll start thinking more about this once I make the
general release to the community at large.


6) Hints for Windows Users

You must use binary mode files for pickling and unpickling matrices in
the windows world.  Blame Bill for the silliness.


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