[SciPy-user] Installing SciPy on AIX 5.2

[Travis Oliphant]

mfmorss at aep.com wrote:

>Here at AEP we have recently installed Python 2.4.2 from source on an AIX
>5.2 machine; running testall.py revealed only inconsequential problems.  We
>are now attempting to install SciPy, which we also have to do from source.
>
>Is it correct that the installation guidance at http://www.scipy.org is
>obsolete?  That it refers to SciPy 0.3.2 would seem to case doubt on all
>the information provided.  The most recent source tarball is, of course,
>  
>
>0.8.2.
>  
>
SciPy 0.3.2 is (old) scipy and builds on top of Numeric.  You may go 
that route, but I'm not sure how much response you will receive if you 
need help. 

The SVN version of scipy is (new) scipy (will be release 0.4.4) and 
builds on top of the new numpy package.

I don't think much testing has been done on AIX, but presumably numpy 
should build there.  The only issue will be the IEEE floating-point 
support (in other-words the error-modes will probably not be supported 
on AIX). 

If you get the latest numpy (look for a release in a few hours) and 
start there, you will probably get more help...

>In particular, at http://www.scipy.org/documentation/buildscipy.txt, it
>says that Python must be installed with the zlib module enabled.  Is this
>true?  Why would SciPy depend on a file compression module?
>  
>
I don't know the answer to that one.   I think the array_import function 
can make use of it, but I don't think it *has* to be installed.

-Travis