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.. _history:
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=======
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History
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=======
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Origins
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=======
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IPython was starting in 2001 by Fernando Perez while he was a graduate student
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at the University of Colorado, Boulder. IPython as we know it today grew out
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of the following three projects:
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* ipython by Fernando Pérez. Fernando began using Python and ipython began as
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an outgrowth of his desire for things like Mathematica-style prompts, access
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to previous output (again like Mathematica's % syntax) and a flexible
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configuration system (something better than :envvar:`PYTHONSTARTUP`).
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* IPP by Janko Hauser. Very well organized, great usability. Had
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an old help system. IPP was used as the "container" code into
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which Fernando added the functionality from ipython and LazyPython.
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* LazyPython by Nathan Gray. Simple but very powerful. The quick
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syntax (auto parens, auto quotes) and verbose/colored tracebacks
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were all taken from here.
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Here is how Fernando describes the early history of IPython:
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When I found out about IPP and LazyPython I tried to join all three
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into a unified system. I thought this could provide a very nice
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working environment, both for regular programming and scientific
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computing: shell-like features, IDL/Matlab numerics, Mathematica-type
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prompt history and great object introspection and help facilities. I
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think it worked reasonably well, though it was a lot more work than I
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had initially planned.
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