[Python-3000] Math in Python 3.0

[Alex Martelli]

On 5/11/06, Fredrik Johansson <fredrik.johansson at gmail.com> wrote:
   ...
> operators could be overloaded as well (to define mpf()+Decimal(), say)

Actually, gmpy currently does it by monkeypatching decimal.Decimal
(sigh) -- I believe that's only in the CVS HEAD, not yet in the
released gmpy version (I'm not going to release another gmpy version
until I can get GMP to work right on my new Macbook Pro, and that's
proving VERY hard considering the totally unhelpful attitude of GMP's
maintainer).  Yes, I *WOULD* appreciate a more elegant approach
(adaptation or multimethods would work fine, for example).

> added to the language.) Is someone currently working on a faster
> implementation of Decimal? I'm occupied, but might be able to lend a

We're selecting one of the many proposals regarding it from the Google
Summer of Code roster; Facundo Batista is scheduled be the primary
mentor, with me as co-mentor, but you're certainly welcome to pitch in
too, if and when you get some free time!

E.g., I believe one nice "side" project would be to add fast
transcendental elementary functions (they wouldn't necessarily have to
be in the Python Standard Library, at least to start with, but rather
could be a third-party module downloadable from the cheeseshop,
presumably using a C-API which should be offered by the new C
implementation of Decimal developed as the SoC project).


Alex