[Numpy-discussion] LU factorization?

[Robert Kern]

On Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 14:43, Stéfan van der Walt <stefan at sun.ac.za> wrote:
> 2008/10/15 Robert Kern <robert.kern at gmail.com>:
>>> numpy.linalg has qr and cholesky factorizations, but LU factorization is
>>> only available in scipy. That doesn't seem quite right. I think is would
>>> make sense to include the LU factorization in numpy among the basic linalg
>>> operations, and probably LU_solve also. Thoughts?
>>
>> -1. As far as I am concerned, numpy.linalg exists because Numeric had
>> LinearAlgebra, and we had to provide it to allow people to upgrade. I
>> do not want to see an expansion of functionality to maintain.
>
> It's silly to have a crippled linear algebra module in NumPy.  Either
> take it out, or finish it.

And what exactly would constitute "finishing it"? Considering that it
has not had LU decompositions since the days it was LinearAlgebra
without anyone stepping up to add it, I hardly consider it crippled
without it.

It has a clear purpose, replacing LinearAlgebra so that people could
upgrade from Numeric. It's not crippled because it doesn't serve some
other purpose.

-- 
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