[Numpy-discussion] Assigning complex values to a real array

Ryan May rmay31 at gmail.com
Thu Dec 10 12:02:04 EST 2009


On Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 2:54 AM, Dag Sverre Seljebotn
<dagss at student.matnat.uio.no> wrote:
> Anne Archibald wrote:
>> 2009/12/9 Dr. Phillip M. Feldman <pfeldman at verizon.net>:
>>
>>
>>> When I recently tried to validate a code, the answers were wrong, and it
>>> took two full days to track down the cause.  I am now forced to reconsider
>>> carefully whether Python/NumPy is a suitable platform for serious scientific
>>> computing.
>>>
>>
>> While I find the current numpy complex->real conversion annoying, I
>> have to say, this kind of rhetoric does not benefit your cause. It
>> sounds childish and manipulative, and makes even people who agree in
>> principle want to tell you to go ahead and use MATLAB and stop
>> pestering us. We are not here to sell you on numpy; if you hate it,
>> don't use it. We are here because *we* use it, warts and all, and we
>> want to discuss interesting topics related to numpy. That you would
>> have implemented it differently is not very interesting if you are not
>> even willing to understand why it is the way it is and what a change
>> would cost, let alone propose a workable way to improve.
>>
> At this point I want to remind us about Charles Harris' very workable
> proposal: Raise a warning. That should both keep backward compatability
> and prevent people from wasting days. (Hopefully, we can avoid wasting
> days discussing this issue too :-) ).

+1 Completely agree. And to be clear, I realize the need not to break
anything relying on this behavior.  I just don't want people passing
this off as a non-issue/'not a big deal'.

Ryan

-- 
Ryan May
Graduate Research Assistant
School of Meteorology
University of Oklahoma



More information about the NumPy-Discussion mailing list