[Numpy-discussion] How a transition to C++ could work

[Stéfan van der Walt]

Hey, Mark

On Feb 18, 2012 11:18 PM, "Mark Wiebe" <mwwiebe at gmail.com> wrote:
> My experience has been that providing a C API from a C++ library is no
harder than providing a C API from a C library.

Interfacing to compiled C++ libs have been tricky, so can this concern be
dismissed so easily? (Some examples that came to mind were
_import_array--easy to fix because it is ours, I guess--or Cython generated
code).

> A really important point to emphasize is that C++ allows for a strategy
where we gradually evolve the codebase to better incorporate its language
features. This is what I'm advocating. No massive rewrite, no disruptive
changes. Gradual code evolution, with ABI and API compatibility comparable
to what we've delivered in 1.6 and the upcoming 1.7 releases.

If we're to switch to C++ (a language that can very easily be wielded in
terrible ways), then this certainly seems like a sound approach.

Regards
Stéfan
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