why not arrays?

[Nick Coghlan]

Rahul wrote:
> Hi.
> I just wanted to know why arrays have not been included as a builtin
> datatype like lists or dictionaries? The numpy extension shows that it
> can be implemented. then why not include arrays in core python?
> rahul
> 

As Gerhard mentioned, the standard library module 'array' can be used for 
data-type specific one-dimensional arrays.

For more complex (i.e. multi-dimensional) arrays - the general answer is "get 
numpy". I'm not aware of the actual reasons why numpy is not included in the 
standard library, but some possible reasons would be:

- size (increase the base Python download too much)
- portability (less portable than the core interpreter)
- stability (the numpy folks aren't yet prepared to commit to the backwards 
compatibility issues associated with being part of the standard library)
- logistics (merging numpy into Python is likely to be a pain)

Cheers,
Nick.

-- 
Nick Coghlan   |   ncoghlan at email.com   |   Brisbane, Australia
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