python bijection

[geremy condra]

On Thu, Dec 3, 2009 at 12:57 PM, M.-A. Lemburg <mal at egenix.com> wrote:
> geremy condra wrote:
>> On Thu, Dec 3, 2009 at 7:04 AM, M.-A. Lemburg <mal at egenix.com> wrote:
>>> I think the only major CS data type missing from Python is some
>>> form of (fast) directed graph implementation à la kjGraph:
>>>
>>>    http://gadfly.sourceforge.net/kjbuckets.html
>>>
>>> With these, you can easily build all sorts of relations between
>>> objects and apply fast operations on them. In fact, it should then
>>> be possible to build a complete relational database in Python
>>> (along the lines of Gadfly).
>>
>> If you're in the market for a Python graph library, you may want
>> to check out Graphine- I'm obviously biased (I wrote most of it)
>> but it has a few more bells and whistles than kjbuckets, and is
>> pretty darned easy to use. It also supports undirected and
>> bridge graphs.
>
> Thanks for the hint :-)
>
> The lib looks nice and would probably serve as a good prototype
> for writing a new built-in type for Python.

I suspect that it would have a better chance at getting into
collections than becoming a builtin, but who knows. I'd just
like to have something like it in the standard library.

> This would have to be written in C, though,

That's currently in the works, along with database backing.
We'd welcome any help though... hint, hint...

> and come under a Python compatible license.

I'm willing to dual license under the Python license if
there were a substantial interest in doing so, and I'm
confident that the other authors and maintainers
would feel the same way. The question in my mind is
whether such an interest exists.

> With the built-in feature moratorium
> currently in place, there's about 1.5-2 years time to get this
> done; perhaps a good GSoC project for next year :-)

I'd love to have Graphine be a GSoC project, although
if the target were to get it into collections the
moratorium wouldn't change the timeline AFAICS.

Geremy Condra