Re: [Tutor] In matplotlib, why are there axes classes vs. axes API? Why not list them under one documentation?
I can only compare to the R language I've used. If there is an issue, say a function freezes at startup, one user brings it up to the list, when the respective maintainer sees the bug, it is usually addressed on the next release. In terms of funding. Isn't Python heavily used in industry, so, financial contribution should've been huge, no? From: Tutor on behalf of Steven D'Aprano Sent: Friday, June 15, 2018 8:33:54 PM To: tutor@python.org Subject: Re: [Tutor] In matplotlib, why are there axes classes vs. axes API? Why not list them under one documentation? On Fri, Jun 15, 2018 at 12:35:36PM -0400, C W wrote: > Why haven't the developers fixed the problem? matplotlib is free, open source software. If volunteers don't "fix the problem", who is paying for the work to be done? Are you volunteering? Or willing to pay somebody to do the work? $30,000 - $50,000 would probably pay for one developer to work on mathplotlib full time for three months. Or maybe the developers don't think it is a problem that needs fixing. Maybe they're happy with it the way it is. Or they don't like it any more than you do, but they are constrained by the need to keep backwards compatibility. -- Steve ___ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor ___ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
Re: [Tutor] In matplotlib, why are there axes classes vs. axes API? Why not list them under one documentation?
On 06/15/2018 10:49 PM, Mike C wrote: > I can only compare to the R language I've used. If there is an issue, say a > function freezes at startup, one user brings it up to the list, when the > respective maintainer sees the bug, it is usually addressed on the next > release. Sure. So that suggests you ought to bring this up to the matplotlib community, and see if they are similarly responsive. We here are not connected to it, we only seek to give general advice to extent we are able to. > In terms of funding. Isn't Python heavily used in industry, so, financial > contribution should've been huge, no? There's not really a connection... matplotlib is written in Python, yes, but as a discrete project is only going to attract interest from those who have a use for it, not from the broader "everybody who uses Python for something" community. As would be the case for any independent open source project, irrespective of what programming language it is written in. And that is indeed one of the differences between open source and commercial development... if there's not a company behind it, the nature of responses is likely to be different. Which is not to say commercial companies prioritize things the way you'd want either. I have recently proposed to one company that shall remain unnamed because this is only an example, not any attempt to cast blame, an improvement they could make to their project through a system they provide to propose features, and to vote on features others have proposed. That feature now has 20 votes and I was excited a lot of people agreed with me. I just heard through independent channels that that company's developers don't even look at suggestions until the votes number in the thousands. Guess it's not happening... ___ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
Re: [Tutor] In matplotlib, why are there axes classes vs. axes API? Why not list them under one documentation?
On Sat, Jun 16, 2018 at 04:49:49AM +, Mike C wrote: > I can only compare to the R language I've used. If there is an issue, > say a function freezes at startup, one user brings it up to the list, > when the respective maintainer sees the bug, it is usually addressed > on the next release. You don't think that there might be a *slight* difference between these two situations? "Hi, maintainers of a highly popular language, here is an easily reproducable and clear bug in your language. Please fix it." versus: "Hi, people on a low-volume mailing list for beginners, there's a third-party library written by people completely unaffiliated with either you or the core developers of the language, but in my subjective opinion, its documentation sucks. Why isn't it fixed?" > In terms of funding. Isn't Python heavily used in industry, so, > financial contribution should've been huge, no? You might be surprised: - how not huge they are; - how much work it is to convince industry to pay for software they can get for free; - and how many other expenses there are, e.g. paying for admin staff, legal costs, hosting costs, funding community groups, etc. I'm not saying the Python Software Foundation is crying poor, but neither do they have unlimited piles of cash they can just throw around at random. Having said that, if a project like matplotlib went to them with a concrete proposal requiring funding, not just some nebulous "give us a bunch of cash and we'll make the docs more betterer!" it would probably be treated with all due consideration. -- Steve ___ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
Re: [Tutor] In matplotlib, why are there axes classes vs. axes API? Why not list them under one documentation?
On 16/06/18 05:49, Mike C wrote: > I can only compare to the R language I've used. If there is an issue, > say a function freezes at startup, one user brings it up to the list,> when > the respective maintainer sees the bug, it is usually addressed Which is fine if there is a team working onthe project full time - as there would be on a commercial project - perhaps by sponsorship. But many(most?) open source projects are not sponsored., they are a small (often just one or two) individuals working in their spare time. > In terms of funding. Isn't Python heavily used in industry, Yes and several companies sponsor development of the core python language. As such major issues tend to be addressed rapidly. But... matplotlib is not part of that core language. It is a part of ScyPy which is not used by such large numbers of industrial companies (and is more directly of interest to researchers and academics rather than commercial developers - a group best known for lack of funds!) and as such is less likely to be responsive, especially when the issues are not bugs or functionality affecting - they are just usability irritations. -- Alan G Author of the Learn to Program web site http://www.alan-g.me.uk/ http://www.amazon.com/author/alan_gauld Follow my photo-blog on Flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alangauldphotos ___ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
