super-packages [was "Hello and my first patch"]

[Christopher Barker]

A. M. Archibald wrote:
> Is setting out to create a "MATLAB replacement" a good goal?

No.

> the goal should be to create a useful tool for scientists.

Yes.

> but I think MATLAB is clearly already that, so (at first) it can serve
> as a definite objective. Of course, anyone who wants to make scipy
> *better* than MATLAB should be warmly encouraged...

It already *is* better!

I say this as a former, committed MATLAB user. I personally think Python 
is a much better foundation language, and numpy a better array 
implementation.

MATLAB two advantages (and they are big ones!): integrated plotting and 
a large and broad library of ready-to-use functions for a wide variety 
of computing.

MPL has almost solved one, and SciPy is getting better an better -- so 
we're really on the right track!

-Chris

-- 
Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
Oceanographer
                                     		
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Chris.Barker at noaa.gov

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