[SciPy-Dev] Design of scipy.stats

[David Goldsmith]

OK, having looked at the source code (duh), I have a better idea what's
going on; correct me if I'm wrong: the idea was to make each distribution
generic up to its specification parameters, and immediately available upon
importing scipy.stats (i.e., no need to explicitly import distributions, no
need for the user to create an instance of the desired distribution).  The
former suggested the object model (i.e., classes) be used, the latter
required such classes to be instantiated at module scope on import of
distributions (which import scipy.stats does).  With this in mind, I'm
comfortable w/ the status quo as far as the code is concerned, supplemented
w/ an explanation of this (which I'll write, unless someone feels I won't do
it justice - don't be shy about telling me so, I won't take it personally)
in (module) distribution's docstring.  I do feel, however, that it would be
best if the Wiki didn't think that the instances required/possessed
docstrings, or at least warned unsuspecting editors that editing those
objects' docstrings is a waste of time; accordingly, I'll be filing a
ticket...

DG

On Thu, May 20, 2010 at 6:42 PM, David Goldsmith <d.l.goldsmith at gmail.com>wrote:

> On Thu, May 20, 2010 at 2:03 PM, <josef.pktd at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I knew the issue sounded familiar; I'll have to go back and read that
> thread more thoroughly.
>
>
>> As for why it was written this way: I don't know
>>
>
> Well, thanks to Robert, now we do. :-)
>
> DG
>
>
>>
>> Josef
>>
>> >
>> > DG
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> >
>> >> > DG
>> >> >
>> >> > On Thu, May 20, 2010 at 11:24 AM, Robert Kern <robert.kern at gmail.com
>> >
>> >> > wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> On Thu, May 20, 2010 at 13:22, David Goldsmith
>> >> >> <d.l.goldsmith at gmail.com>
>> >> >> wrote:
>> >> >> > On Thu, May 20, 2010 at 8:12 AM, David Huard <
>> david.huard at gmail.com>
>> >> >> > wrote:
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> <X>_gen is a class and <X> an instance of that class.
>> >> >> >>
>> >> >> >> David H.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > So which is a user expected to use?
>> >> >>
>> >> >> The latter.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> --
>> >> >> Robert Kern
>> >> >>
>> >> >> "I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a
>> harmless
>> >> >> enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it
>> as
>> >> >> though it had an underlying truth."
>> >> >>  -- Umberto Eco
>> >> >> _______________________________________________
>> >> >> SciPy-Dev mailing list
>> >> >> SciPy-Dev at scipy.org
>> >> >> http://mail.scipy.org/mailman/listinfo/scipy-dev
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > --
>> >> > Mathematician: noun, someone who disavows certainty when their
>> >> > uncertainty
>> >> > set is non-empty, even if that set has measure zero.
>> >> >
>> >> > Hope: noun, that delusive spirit which escaped Pandora's jar and,
>> with
>> >> > her
>> >> > lies, prevents mankind from committing a general suicide.  (As
>> >> > interpreted
>> >> > by Robert Graves)
>> >> >
>> >> > _______________________________________________
>> >> > SciPy-Dev mailing list
>> >> > SciPy-Dev at scipy.org
>> >> > http://mail.scipy.org/mailman/listinfo/scipy-dev
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> _______________________________________________
>> >> SciPy-Dev mailing list
>> >> SciPy-Dev at scipy.org
>> >> http://mail.scipy.org/mailman/listinfo/scipy-dev
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Mathematician: noun, someone who disavows certainty when their
>> uncertainty
>> > set is non-empty, even if that set has measure zero.
>> >
>> > Hope: noun, that delusive spirit which escaped Pandora's jar and, with
>> her
>> > lies, prevents mankind from committing a general suicide.  (As
>> interpreted
>> > by Robert Graves)
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > SciPy-Dev mailing list
>> > SciPy-Dev at scipy.org
>> > http://mail.scipy.org/mailman/listinfo/scipy-dev
>> >
>> >
>> _______________________________________________
>> SciPy-Dev mailing list
>> SciPy-Dev at scipy.org
>> http://mail.scipy.org/mailman/listinfo/scipy-dev
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Mathematician: noun, someone who disavows certainty when their uncertainty
> set is non-empty, even if that set has measure zero.
>
> Hope: noun, that delusive spirit which escaped Pandora's jar and, with her
> lies, prevents mankind from committing a general suicide.  (As interpreted
> by Robert Graves)
>



-- 
Mathematician: noun, someone who disavows certainty when their uncertainty
set is non-empty, even if that set has measure zero.

Hope: noun, that delusive spirit which escaped Pandora's jar and, with her
lies, prevents mankind from committing a general suicide.  (As interpreted
by Robert Graves)
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