[PYTHON MATRIX-SIG] Modules and Naming issues

[Jim Hugunin]

Lots of good comments here, so I'll try and summarize a new position based
on them all:

Numeric should be a package.  The top level of the package will have what
everyone is used to from import Numeric.

There will also be the following subpackages(?) in the base distribution:

Numeric.LinearAlgebra
Numeric.Random
Numeric.FFT

will all be in the basic distribution and will define the expected
functions.  One nice thing about the package system is that I don't have to
worry about conflicts with builtin module names like random.py.

I have to admit that I don't consider Numeric.LinearAlgebra to be at all
redundant, one of these years I'm definately going to add symbolic math to
python if nobody beats me to it.  I also don't see the need to say import
Numeric.LinearAlgebra.LAPACK, as Paul has said before (on other issues)
this sort of thing doesn't need a naming convention, just a note in the
documentation explaining that LAPACK is used for the underlying routines in
Numeric.LinearAlgebra.

My question for everyone is what should the reccommended usage of these
functions be?

I've finally gotten used to typing things like:

>>> Numeric.array([1,2,3], Numeric.Float32)

I can't imagine ever getting used to typing:

>>> Numeric.LinearAlgebra.inverse(a)

Is there something I'm missing here? 

-Jim


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