[Numpy-discussion] scipy.scons branch: building numpy and scipy with scons

[Robert Kern]

David Cournapeau wrote:

> So to go back to your problem: if I understand correctly, what is needed 
> is to update the scons tools. Since those are kept at one place, I think 
> it would be safe to update them independently. But I don't understand 
> exactly how this could be installed in the source tree without 
> reinstalling numpy ? I think this is better than completely overriding 
> the compilation flags, personally. But if you really want this 
> possibility, I can add it, too, without too much trouble.

I don't think you could install it into an already installed numpy package. My
suggestion is to keep the implementations of the tools inside the numpy package
as they are now *except* that we look for another package first before going
inside numpy.distutils.scons.tools . I called it "numpy_fcompilers" though I now
suspect "numpy_scons_tools" might be more appropriate. If the package
numpy_scons_tools doesn't exist, the implementations inside
numpy.distutils.scons.tools are used. A variation on this would be to provide an
--option to the scons command to provide a "package path" to look for tools. E.g.

  python setup.py scons
--tool-path=my_local_fcompilers,site_fcompilers,numpy.distutils.scons.tools

This, too, is a workaround for the less-than-desirable situation of having
numpy's sizable build infrastructure bundled with the numpy package itself. If
this stuff were an entirely separate package focused on providing this
scons-based build infrastructure, then we wouldn't have a problem. We could just
update it on its own release schedule. People would probably be more willing to
use the development versions of it, too, instead of having to also buy into the
development version of their array package as well.

-- 
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
 that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had
 an underlying truth."
  -- Umberto Eco