[Python-ideas] matrix operations on dict :)

[Sturla Molden]

On 08.02.2012 13:36, Nick Coghlan wrote:

> That isn't really the case with NumPy - it has a sizable developer
> base of its own, along with solid backing from Enthought.

I thing you got this the wrong way. Inclusion in the stdlib requires 
long-term support, it is not a way to ensure long-term support for 
projects that don't have it. (And NumPy is likely to be supported for a 
very long time.)

> Incorporation into the standard library would be a *lot* of pain for
> minimal gain. If it helps, just consider SciPy Python's "stdlib++" if
> you're doing any kind of heavy number crunching with Python. There's a
> reason the PyPy folks were able to raise money to sponsor their
> NumPyPy compatibility effort - it's because the SciPy ecosystem is
> centred around NumPy, and NumPyPy promises to let developers enjoy the
> benefit's of PyPy without losing access to SciPy.

NumPy is not just for number-crunching. It is also a general memory 
abstraction, a mutable container for any kind of binary data, for any 
kind of bit and byte fiddling, reading and parsing binary data, memory 
mapping binary files, etc. Another use-cases are computer graphics and 
image processing.

Sturla