[IPython-dev] IPython development: course adjustment required

[Stéfan van der Walt]

2008/6/3 Ondrej Certik <ondrej at certik.cz>:
> Hi Fernando and other ipython developers,
>
> I never fully understood why you started ipython1 as a separate
> project instead of improving ipython that everyone knows
> and is in all distributions. So all I can say is a big +1.

I thought it made sense at the time.  It wasn't immediately apparent
(to me, at least) what the overlap between the new and the old project
would be (or whether there would be any).  Also, without a
proof-of-concept, adding a twistd dependency onto a very lightweight
IPython would have been unpopular (I suppose this could have been an
"optional dependency").

I am glad that the two development streams have merged.  A project
without innovation simply waits to die.  That said, I think it is easy
to overlook the advantages gained by the initial split (that is,
giving Brian, Fernando and Min a blank slate to produce innovative
ideas, as well as providing a test-bed for implementations).

But, hey, all's well that ends well!

Happy hacking,
Stéfan