[SciPy-Dev] Mea culpa: deprecation and API changes

[Warren Weckesser]

Charles R Harris wrote:
>
>
> On Mon, May 31, 2010 at 6:11 PM, Warren Weckesser 
> <warren.weckesser at enthought.com 
> <mailto:warren.weckesser at enthought.com>> wrote:
>
>     Charles R Harris wrote:
>     >
>     >
>     > On Mon, May 31, 2010 at 5:49 PM, Warren Weckesser
>     > <warren.weckesser at enthought.com
>     <mailto:warren.weckesser at enthought.com>
>     > <mailto:warren.weckesser at enthought.com
>     <mailto:warren.weckesser at enthought.com>>> wrote:
>     >
>     >     Opinion wanted:  codata.find(sub) used to print a list of
>     strings.  A
>     >     while ago, in response to
>     >     http://projects.scipy.org/scipy/ticket/996,  I
>     >     changed it to return the list of strings.  But this is an
>     API change,
>     >     and should follow the deprecation policy.  One way to do
>     this is to
>     >     restore find() to its previous behavior, and deprecate the
>     >     function.  At
>     >     the same time, add a new function, find_string(sub), which
>     returns the
>     >     list of strings.  What do you think?
>     >
>     >
>     > I wouldn't worry about this one, both have the effect of
>     printing out
>     > on the screen. Where is the absolute error though?
>     >
>
>     Well, I will worry about it, just not very much.  Think of it as an
>     exercise in the proper implementation of the deprecation policy--a
>     tiny
>     case study.  Trivial, but with educational value. :)
>
>     What do you mean by "the absolute error"?
>
>
> codata.precision returns the relative error. Perhaps I am mistaken, 
> but I thought the data was published with the absolute error. Both are 
> useful, of course.
>


It looks like the absolute error is in the strings, in the "uncertainty" 
column.  The original author(s) would have to answer your question about 
the precision() function.  I only touched a couple lines in the find() 
function. 

Warren


> Chuck
>
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