[SciPy-dev] a modest proposal for technology previews

[Jarrod Millman]

Hey,

I have been thinking about how to best get useful, widely-needed,
high-quality code with a good, stable API into scipy without creating
an unnecessary burden on developers or early adopters.  Unfortunately,
I don't have time to fully flesh out what I have been thinking; but I
went ahead and started writing a SEP:
  http://projects.scipy.org/scipy/scipy/browser/trunk/doc/seps/technology-preview.rst

Please note that I don't intend this to replace scikits or other
staging grounds.  I imagine that a project could easily start as a
scikit and mature there.  Then a number of developer decide that it
belongs in scipy proper.  Rather than just working in a branch until
the code is ready for release to the world.  This mechanism would
allow any additional incubator for code maturation and development.

I would love to hear everyone's initial thoughts, suggestions, and
ideas.  I will try and incorporate these comments into the SEP and
then we can discuss whether we should accept, reject, or defer the
SEP.  I have been kicking the idea around a bit with Fernando, Chris,
Stefan, and others; so I can't claim the idea is mine.  I am just
trying to write it up.  If anyone once to help out, the SEP is checked
into the scipy trunk.

I plan to work on it more later tonight to flesh out some of the ideas
better.  But in the spirit of "release early, release often" ... have
at it.

Thanks,

-- 
Jarrod Millman
Computational Infrastructure for Research Labs
10 Giannini Hall, UC Berkeley
phone: 510.643.4014
http://cirl.berkeley.edu/