[Numpy-discussion] Blitz++, NumArray...

[Chris Barker]

Fernando Perez wrote:

> - Is there anything in Numarray's design which prevents this same trick from
> being used?

It's not entirely clear to me what you have in mind. ARE you proposing
that Blitz++ arrays be the low-level implimentaiton of Numarray?, or
just that there be an easy way to switch between them.

In the first case, it was considered a coupl eof years ago, and rejected
(as far as I could tell) mainly for reasons of portability: Blitz++
makes heavy use of templates, which are not well supported by the very
wide variety of compilers that Python is supported on. One of the goals
of Numarray is to make it into the Python standard library, and use of
C++ and templates would preclude that, at least in the foreseeable
future.

Here's one discussion about it:

http://www.geocrawler.com/mail/thread.php3?subject=%5BNumpy-discussion%5D+Meta%3A+too+many+numerical+libraries+doing+the&list=1329

If that url doesn't work, I found it by searching google for:

Numpy-discussion blitz++

If you are proposing the second: that there could be an easy bridge
between Numarray and Blitz++ (maybe using Boost Python somehow?) so that
Blitz++ arrays could be used to write Numarray extensions, I'm all for
it! I think the community would gain a great deal from an easier to use
API for writing compiled Numarray functions. Besides making it easier
for those of us that find the need for custom extensions, it would make
it much easier for people to write and contibute high performance
general purpose code--resulting in a much expanded library for Numarray
and SciPy.

-Chris

-- 
Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
Oceanographer
                                    		
NOAA/OR&R/HAZMAT         (206) 526-6959   voice
7600 Sand Point Way NE   (206) 526-6329   fax
Seattle, WA  98115       (206) 526-6317   main reception

Chris.Barker at noaa.gov