[Numpy-discussion] [python] Re: Request for advice: project to get NumPy working in IronPython

[Michael Foord]

Travis E. Oliphant wrote:
>>> An IronPython compatible version of NumPy would be great.    Of course 
>>> it could be done by using C# to write NumPy, but I'm not sure that this 
>>> would really be any less work than creating a "glue" layer that allowed 
>>> most (or all) C-Python extensions to work with IronPython.
>>>     
>>>       
> I'm curious about why all the discussion is about putting Python and its 
> extensions on top of C# and very little discussion about just using 
> C#-based tools as an extension from CPython.
>
> Python .NET is a great example of what I'm referring to.
>
> The C# language and the CLR does solve some problems, but it does not 
> solve all the problems related to scientific computing that it could.   
> In particular, I wish it's cross-platform visibility where higher.  Mono 
> is a great start, but there are a lot of C# libraries that just don't 
> get made to work on Linux or Mac OS X.
>
> The task of moving scipy to sit on top of the CLR seems rather large 
> without some automatic tool to allow calling CPython extensions from the 
> CLR that works in a cross-platform way.
>   

This is exactly what Resolver hopes to achieve in the long-run.

I already have a proof-of-concept hack that already allows you to use 
CPython extensions from IronPython, using the Python.NET work:

    http://www.voidspace.org.uk/ironpython/cpython_extensions.shtml

I had matplotlib (using numpy and Tkinter) working - but it is only a 
proof of concept. :-)

In the long run we would like to provide a mechanism that allows CPython 
extensions to be used seamlessly from IronPython. We're starting with 
Numpy (and not by reimplementing in C#) because we have customers who 
want to use it.

On the CLR subject, the CLR is a great runtime. Advantages include a 
powerful JIT, no GIL, an accepted (and widely used) technology in the 
corporate world, and a native GUI library for Windows (better than any 
I've seen for CPython).

Michael
http://www.manning.com/foord



> I don't really see the benefit that the CLR offers (unless all the hype 
> is just so you can write code that runs in a browser --- in which case, 
> are you really going to run matrix inversion on the CLR in a browser?)
>
> How does legacy code interact with the "magic" of the CLR?
>
> What are people's opinions about the value of NumPy and SciPy on the CLR?
>
> -Travis O.
>
>
>
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