[ANN] NumPy 1.0b4 now available

[Travis E. Oliphant]

The 4th beta release of NumPy 1.0 has just been made available.

NumPy 1.0 represents the culmination of over 18 months of work to unify
the Numeric and Numarray array packages into a single best-of-breed
array package for Python.

NumPy supports all the features of Numeric and Numarray with a healthy
dose of it's own improved features.

It's time to start porting your applications to use NumPy as Numeric is
no longer maintained and Numarray will only be maintained for a few more
months.

Porting is not difficult especially using the compatibility layers
numpy.oldnumeric and numpy.numarray and the alter_code1.py modules in
those packages. The full C-API of Numeric is supported as is the C-API
of Numarray.

More information is available at http://numpy.scipy.org


NumPy Developers

 

[mensanator]

The 4th beta release of NumPy 1.0 has just been made available.

NumPy 1.0 represents the culmination of over 18 months of work to unify
the Numeric and Numarray array packages into a single best-of-breed
array package for Python.

NumPy supports all the features of Numeric and Numarray with a healthy
dose of it's own improved features.

So how come this support doesn't extend to making a numpy
version of NumTuT?

It's time to start porting your applications to use NumPy as Numeric is
no longer maintained and Numarray will only be maintained for a few more
months.

Which would be a good reason to convert NumTut.

Porting is not difficult especially using the compatibility layers
numpy.oldnumeric and numpy.numarray and the alter_code1.py modules in
those packages.

Ah, I see. I'm supposed to convert it myself.

So when I place my cursor over the link and it identifies the
link as "alter_code1.py" meaning it's a Python source file,
naturally I download it only to discover that it's not a source
code file but an .html file masquerading as a .py file.

So when I followow the link and see some stupid management
system, I'm completely bewildered. What the **** am I supposed
to do with this? Oh, wait...I can download in other formats.

Only the "Plain Text" format isn't plain text. It strips off the web
page stuff but doesn't translate the codes such as < rendering
the alleged plain text un-runnable. Ok, I should have downloaded
"Original Format". Would it be too much trouble to explain all that?

Oh, and when you run alter_code1.py, it does not, in fact, alter
the code. After "altering", the NumTut files continue to complain
that there is no module named "Numeric". Pardon me, but wasn't
alter_code1.py supposed to fix that? I guess not. Of course, you
can guess what happened next. Manually changing "Numeric" to
"numpy" fixes the import problem but it still won't run, something
about "types" not being defined.

I give up. It looks like a complete waste of time.

The full C-API of Numeric is supported as is the C-API
of Numarray.

More information is available at http://numpy.scipy.org

Like the statement

"There is a module called convertcode.py in NumPy that
can make the transition to NumPy easier (it will automatically
perform the search-and-replace style changes that need to
be made to python code that uses Numeric to make it work
with NumPy)."

Which is a lie, there is no such module included in numpy.
Is alter_code1.py supposed to take its place? If so why hasn't
the Home Page been updated to reflect this?

NumPy Developers

And you have the GALL to CHARGE for the documentation!

 

[Robert Kern]

So how come this support doesn't extend to making a numpy
version of NumTuT?

Because NumTut has no redeeming value? Certainly none over this:

http://www.scipy.org/Numpy_Example_List

Which would be a good reason to convert NumTut.

No. NumTut would still need to be *useful*.

Ah, I see. I'm supposed to convert it myself.

So when I place my cursor over the link

What link?

and it identifies the
link as "alter_code1.py" meaning it's a Python source file,
naturally I download it only to discover that it's not a source
code file but an .html file masquerading as a .py file.

So when I followow the link and see some stupid management
system, I'm completely bewildered. What the **** am I supposed
to do with this? Oh, wait...I can download in other formats.

Only the "Plain Text" format isn't plain text. It strips off the web
page stuff but doesn't translate the codes such as < rendering
the alleged plain text un-runnable. Ok, I should have downloaded
"Original Format". Would it be too much trouble to explain all that?

Why are you trying to download the file from the Trac source browser? Get it
from the real numpy source distribution.

Oh, and when you run alter_code1.py, it does not, in fact, alter
the code. After "altering", the NumTut files continue to complain
that there is no module named "Numeric". Pardon me, but wasn't
alter_code1.py supposed to fix that? I guess not. Of course, you
can guess what happened next. Manually changing "Numeric" to
"numpy" fixes the import problem but it still won't run, something
about "types" not being defined.

Yup, that's a bug. Apparently we're not detecting "from Numeric import *". The
drop-in replacement for "Numeric" is not "numpy" but "numpy.oldnumeric".

Making that replacement at least gets me to a RuntimeError in Tkinter. Which is
exactly what I get with Numeric. Remember what I said about NumTut having no
redeeming value?

Like the statement

"There is a module called convertcode.py in NumPy that
can make the transition to NumPy easier (it will automatically
perform the search-and-replace style changes that need to
be made to python code that uses Numeric to make it work
with NumPy)."

Which is a lie, there is no such module included in numpy.
Is alter_code1.py supposed to take its place? If so why hasn't
the Home Page been updated to reflect this?

Are you volunteering to maintain the site? I'd be happy to set you up with access.

And you have the GALL to CHARGE for the documentation!

No, he's charging for a book. It's not the only source of documentation out
there, you know.

http://www.scipy.org/Documentation

If you think the freely available material is lacking, please contribute.

--
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

 

[mensanator]

Because NumTut has no redeeming value? Certainly none over this:

http://www.scipy.org/Numpy_Example_List

Ok, it's just that when I go to the download page, I see

Latest File Releases

The latest file releases

Package Release Date Notes / Monitor Downloads
Numarray 1.5.2 August 24, 2006 - Download
Numeric 24.2 November 11, 2005 - Download
NumPy 1.0b4 July 21, 2006 - Download
tutorial NumTut August 14, 2001 - Download

which certainly makes no indication that NumTut has no redeeming value.
Even the Notes simply tell you to look at the Numeric documentation.
I hardly think that's good enough. It should bear a large red label:

WARNING! Not compatible with NumPy (and has no redeeming value)

No. NumTut would still need to be *useful*.

Then why are you floggin' the bloody thing?

What link?

This one (from Numpy Home Page):

<br />
Numeric
users should find the transition very easy.&nbsp; There is a <a

href="http://projects.scipy.org/scipy/numpy/browser/trunk/numpy/oldnumeric/alter_code1.py">module</a>
that can make most of the necessary changes to your Python code that
used Numeric to work with the new NumPy. <br />

Why are you trying to download the file from the Trac source browser? Get it
from the real numpy source distribution.

Because the Home Page told me to go there? That usually means it
isn't included in the distribution. I certainly wouldn't have gone to
all that trouble if I knew I already had it. The wording on the Home
Page implied I didn't, so I didn't look.

The best Quality Control is performed by someone who's completely
clueless.

Remember, the programmer only *thinks* he knows how it works.

Yup, that's a bug. Apparently we're not detecting "from Numeric import *". The
drop-in replacement for "Numeric" is not "numpy" but "numpy.oldnumeric".

Making that replacement at least gets me to a RuntimeError in Tkinter. Which is
exactly what I get with Numeric. Remember what I said about NumTut having no
redeeming value?

Fine. I'll discard it. Lucky for me I have no actual Numeric code to
convert.

Are you volunteering to maintain the site?
Sure.

I'd be happy to set you up with access.

And I'll be happy to change it. Say, remove the goofy links, direct
the users to look for the alter*.py programs in their distribution,
point out that NumTut has no redeeming value and cannot be converted
using alter*.py, so the user is on his own to make it work if he
really wants to try it? At this point, that's all I know about it.

No, he's charging for a book. It's not the only source of documentation out
there, you know.

Ok, I flew off the handle there. I realize you get what you pay for.
Not getting what you pay for irks me, however.

http://www.scipy.org/Documentation

If you think the freely available material is lacking, please contribute.

I'll be happy to, if I can.

It was I, after all, who found the memory leak bug in gmpy that's now
fixed. Unfortunately, there's been no reply to my second bug find and
given the issues with the last update, I despair of ever seeing another
Windows version, meaning I'll probably be stuck on Python 2.4 forever.

 

[Steve Holden]

(e-mail address removed) wrote: [...]

The full C-API of Numeric is supported as is the C-API
of Numarray.

More information is available at http://numpy.scipy.org

Like the statement

"There is a module called convertcode.py in NumPy that
can make the transition to NumPy easier (it will automatically
perform the search-and-replace style changes that need to
be made to python code that uses Numeric to make it work
with NumPy)."

Which is a lie, there is no such module included in numpy.
Is alter_code1.py supposed to take its place? If so why hasn't
the Home Page been updated to reflect this?

Are you volunteering to maintain the site?

Sure.

[...]

Good for you!

The open source world *needs* to encourage more involvement from
(forgive me, but you imply the same yourself) "clueless" users. That
way, the software will become more widely available, as it won't speak
only to experienced developers.

regards
Steve