[Numpy-discussion] try to solve issue #2649 and revisit #473

[Chris Barker - NOAA Federal]

On Wed, Apr 3, 2013 at 1:03 PM, Alan G Isaac <alan.isaac at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 4/3/2013 3:18 PM, huangkandiy at gmail.com wrote:

> In my view, the result should be a 1d array,
> the same as I.A.dot(x).
>
> But the maintainers wanted operations with matrices to
> return matrices whenever possible.  So instead of
> returning x it returns np.matrix(x).

the matrix object is a fine idea, but the key problem is that it
provides a 2-d matrix,  but no concept of a 1-d vector. I think it
would all be a cleaner if there were a row-vector and column-vector
object to accompany matrix -- they things that naturally return a
vector could do so, You can't use a regular 1-d array because there is
no way to distinguish between a row or column version.

But as Alan sid, this was all hashed out a few years back -- a bunch
of great ideas, but no one to implement them.

The truth is that matrix has little value outside of teaching, so no
one with the skills to push it forward uses it themselves.

-Chris

-- 

Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
Oceanographer

Emergency Response Division
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Chris.Barker at noaa.gov