On Sun, Feb 9, 2014 at 4:59 PM, alex <argri...@ncsu.edu> wrote: > Hello list, > > I wrote this mini-nep for numpy but I've been advised it is more > appropriate for discussion on the list. > > """ > The ``numpy.matrix`` API provides a low barrier to using Python > for linear algebra, just as the pre-3 Python ``input`` function > and ``print`` statement provided low barriers to using Python for > automatically evaluating input and for printing output. > > On the other hand, it really needs to be deprecated. > Let's deprecate ``numpy.matrix``. > """ > > I understand that numpy.matrix will not be deprecated any time soon, > but I hope this will register as a vote to help nudge its deprecation > closer to the realm of acceptable discussion.
To make this more productive, maybe it would be useful to elaborate on what exactly we should do here. I can't imagine we'll actually remove 'matrix' from the numpy namespace at any point in the near future. I do have the sense that when people choose to use it, they eventually come to regret this choice. It's a bit buggy and has confusing behaviours, and due to limitations of numpy's subclassing model, will probably always be buggy and have confusing behaviours. And it's marketed as being for new users, who are exactly the kind of users who aren't sophisticated enough to recognize these dangers. Maybe there should be a big warning to this effect in the np.matrix docstring? Maybe using np.matrix should raise a DeprecationWarning? (DeprecationWarning doesn't have to mean that something will be disappearing -- e.g. the Python stdlib deprecates stuff all the time, but never actually removes it. It's just a warning flag that there are better options available.) Or what? -- Nathaniel J. Smith Postdoctoral researcher - Informatics - University of Edinburgh http://vorpus.org _______________________________________________ NumPy-Discussion mailing list NumPy-Discussion@scipy.org http://mail.scipy.org/mailman/listinfo/numpy-discussion
