[PYTHON MATRIX-SIG] Data analysis package question

[Johann Hibschman]

On Thu, 31 Oct 1996, James Boyle wrote:

> I have been exploring the possibilities of data analysis using
> Yorick and Python.
[...]
> The only reason that I am hesitating to really get underway, is
> that at this point NumPy is a moving target. As seen above, NumPy
> is a critical path for all this to succeed. 

I'm about in the same position.  I've managed to get NumPy and GIST
working together rather nicely, so I'm fairly optimistic that the whole
package could be made to work.

Meanwhile, I'm keeping myself busy fending off periodic assaults from
friends saying that I should just use either IDL or C and be done with it. 
My CS friends think perl is the answer to all problems.  IDL's great, but
it looks like Fortran with a hangover, while perl looks like a gorilla
held down shift and mashed his hand on the keyboard a few times, and C
would take a zillion lines of code to do anything interesting.  I'm just
not understood.  Sigh.  :)

(I am somewhat disturbed by reports that perl is several times faster 
than python, though.)

> >From my monitoring of this group I don't think that I am at all unique. Maybe
> a sub-group could be formed for clearing up the details for integration of
> the above system when the NumPy beta or final is released.

You're certainly not unique.  (We are all individuals.)  (I'm not!)  
However, I at least am content to fiddle around until I know enough about 
the system to comment intelligently, trusting that if I have a real 
question, someone will be able to answer it.

- Johann

Johann Hibschman
johann@physics.berkeley.edu   




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