Re: [matplotlib-devel] Experiments in removing/replacing PyCXX

[Eric F. <ef...@ha...>]

On 2012/12/03 4:54 AM, Michael Droettboom wrote:
> I think Cython is well suited to writing new algorithmic code to speed
> up hot spots in Python code.  I don't think it's as well suited as glue
> between C and Python -- that was not a main goal of the original Pyrex
> project, IIRC.  It feels kind of tacked on and not a very good fit to
> the problem.

Not entirely relevant to the PyCXX discussion, but to avoid misleading 
others reading this discussion, I must strongly disagree with your 
assertion about Cython's usefulness for wrapping C libraries or small 
chunks of C.  I think this has always been a primary function of Cython 
and Pyrex, as far back as I have been aware of them.  I wrote the raw 
interface to our contouring code, and I have written cython interfaces 
to various chunks of C outside of mpl; and cython makes it much easier 
for a non-professional programmer such as myself.  So I am not arguing 
that Cython should be the choice for removing PyCXX, but for 
non-wizards, it can work very well as glue.  It is much more 
approachable than any alternative of which I am aware.  For Fortran, of 
course, f2py plays this glue code generation role.

Eric