[SciPy-dev] [SciPy-user] Long live to numpy (and its list as well)

[Fernando Perez]

Joe Harrington wrote:
> Francesc Altet on scipy-dev:
> 
> 
>>Now that numpy is dead and we all want a long life to numpy, what
>>about moving discussions in this list into the venerable:
> 
> 
>>"numpy-discussion <numpy-discussion at lists.sourceforge.net>"
> 
> 
> We're one community (or want to be).  Could we just have one mailing
> list per type of discussion (dev and user)?  All the cross-posting and
> cross-monitoring is tedious.  I don't care whether we keep scipy-* or
> numpy-* lists, but is there a functional reason to have four lists?
> Consider that soon we may have *-doc, *-newbie, *-announce, and others
> as well, if this takes off like we all hope.  If the developers want
> separate lists because some are only working on one of the two
> packages, I can see that argument (in the future if not now).  I don't
> see a need for two user lists, unless perhaps sorted by high and low
> traffic.
> 
> I propose we either drop the numpy-* lists (if subscribers there
> agree), or leave them for ongoing discussion of the legacy packages,
> and discourage discussion of the new numpy/scipy there.
> 
> Ok, flame me.

Uh, no.  I'm actually with you on this one: I just don't think we are a large 
enough group to warrant the existence of separate numpy- and scipy- lists, 
especially when the overlap in topics is so high.  Every scipy user is, by 
necessity, a numpy user as well.

I think that, IF in the future:

1. the traffic on the scipy- lists becomes enormous, AND

2. a significant portion of that traffic is for users of numpy as a pure array 
library with no scientific concerns (if it really becomes a popular 'data 
exchange' system for Python-and-C libraries),

THEN we can consider resuscitating the numpy lists.

For now, I vote on leaving them dormant, and moving all numeric(abandoned), 
numarray(maintenance-transition) and numpy/scipy (new development) discussion 
to the scipy-* lists.  I don't think the occasional post about Numeric or 
numarray is a major concern (at least it doesn't bother me).

It is an issue also of friendliness to newbies: I'd like to tell newcomers 
"for information and discussion, just join scipy-user and matplotlib-user, and 
you should be set on all numerics and plotting in python".  Telling them to 
subscribe to, or monitor via gmane, 8 different lists is annoying.

Cheers,

f