[SciPy-Dev] curve_fit() should require initial values for parameters

[Stefan van der Walt]

On Thu, 24 Jan 2019 14:19:09 -0500, josef.pktd at gmail.com wrote:
> i.e. I think
> Try automatic first, and if that does not succeed, then the user has to
> think again,
> is more convenient, than
> "you have to think about your problem first, don't just hit the
> button".

My question is: can you ever know with certainty when you did not
succeed?  In many cases, you'll probably think you did fine?

But, consider, e.g., an alternative implementation that tries 5
different fitting methods, and then picks the solution with the lowest
error.  That, while not computationally optimal, is a process you can
explain clearly.

In this case, how do you communicate to the user through which steps
there data went to obtained the returned result?  This is what I mean by
avoiding the magic; making sure the user knows where their results came
from.  I am not opposed to convenience, as long as there is clear
communication.

Stéfan