[SciPy-dev] Python interface to COBYLA

[Travis Oliphant]

Pearu Peterson wrote:

>On Tue, 13 Apr 2004, Jean-Sebastien Roy wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Hi !
>>
>>Following my previous mail, I did a preliminary Python interface to 
>>M.J.D. Powell COBYLA optimization package.
>>
>>I translated the Fortran package to C via f2c, did a few adjustments, 
>>and added a Python interface so it could be easily integrated into SciPy.
>>As stated in a previous mail, M.J.D. Powell agreed for the inclusion of 
>>COBYLA in SciPy. (Many thanks to him !)
>>    
>>

Many thanks are owed to Jean-Sebastien for his assistance in this 
area.   I would like to echo, however, Pearu's suggestion that there is 
no need to convert working Fortran code to C for inclusion into scipy.   
f2py actually makes the process of integrating fortran code into SciPy 
easier than integrating C code.

So, unless there is an important reason to convert to C (dynamic memory 
allocation for example), I would think it is better to keep Fortran code 
in Fortran when possible.

Thanks again,  Jean,

-Travis