[Numpy-discussion] Matching Nueric3/numarray namig conentions.

[Colin J. Williams]

Travis Oliphant wrote:

> Nadav Horesh wrote:
>
>> Just started to play with Numeric3, looks as a significant usability
>> improvement but....
>> Same functions/classes are named differently in numarray and Numeric3,
>> for instance typecodes.
>>  
>>
> This is true for only a few cases.  Mostly the names are compatible, but
> some of the naming conventions needed changing...
> For example:
>
> We have used type for the name of the data type in a numeric array.  But,
> this can be confusing because type refers to the kind of Python object 
> and all arrays are the same kind of python object.  In addition, it is 
> natural to use the type= keyword in array constructors, but this then 
> blocks the use of that builtin for the function it is used with.  Of 
> course typecode was previously chosen by Numeric, but now the types 
> are not codes (they are really type objects).  Thus,  I have been 
> calling type (dtype) in the new scipy.base.  The alternative is to 
> keep the name type (eliminate the use of typecode, and rename python's 
> type function to pytype within scipy).
>
[error] - this should have read:
These changes make sense (1) replacing type by dtype (dType?) and (2)
replacing typecode by dType an instance of a Numeric types class.

It would be good if, as suggested by  Nadav,  the first change could be
made to numarray.  He indicates that the naming of the new Numeric types 
classes is different from that used by numarray.  Is it necessary to 
change this?

> It could easily be changed if that is a real problem.    Because of 
> the signficantly different usage of types in the new system, it is 
> helpful to have a different name (dtype).    But, I could be persuaded 
> to use the word type and rename Python's type to pytype.

This, I suggest, would be a step back.

Is there any plan to make Win32 binary version available for testing?
Past efforts to compile have failed.

Colin W,


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