[Python-Dev] 2.7 Release? 2.7 == last of the 2.x line? (original) (raw)

ssteinerX@gmail.com ssteinerx at gmail.com
Tue Nov 3 14:45:59 CET 2009

On Nov 3, 2009, at 2:20 AM, Sturla Molden wrote:

I'd just like to mention that the scientific community is highly dependent on NumPy. As long as NumPy is not ported to Py3k, migration is out of the question. Porting NumPy is not a trivial issue. It might take a complete rewrite of the whole C base using Cython. NumPy's ABI is not even PEP 3118 compliant. Changing the ABI for Py3k might break extension code written for NumPy using C. And scientists tend to write CPU-bound routines in languages like C and Fortran, not Python, so that is a major issue as well. If we port NumPy to Py3k, everyone using NumPy will have to port their C code to the new ABI. There are lot of people stuck with Python 2.x for this reason.

It does not just affect individual scientists, but also large projects like IBM and CERN's blue brain and NASA's space telecope.

Then, perhaps, if 2.7 is known to be the last release of the 2.x line,
some of those deep pockets can cough up some $ or developers to
actually do the port.

A Python 3 version of NumPy might be enough of an improvement to bring
more scientists and engineers onboard if the Python 3.x version
shows what great productivity gains are to be had with Python 3.x over
2.x.

S

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