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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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The current IPython system grew out of the following three projects:
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* [ipython] by Fernando Pérez. I was working on adding
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Mathematica-type prompts and a flexible configuration system
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(something better than $PYTHONSTARTUP) to the standard Python
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interactive interpreter.
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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 I 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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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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Current status
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==============
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The above listed features work, and quite well for the most part. But
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until a major internal restructuring is done (see below), only bug
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fixing will be done, no other features will be added (unless very minor
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and well localized in the cleaner parts of the code).
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IPython consists of some 18000 lines of pure python code, of which
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roughly two thirds is reasonably clean. The rest is, messy code which
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needs a massive restructuring before any further major work is done.
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Even the messy code is fairly well documented though, and most of the
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problems in the (non-existent) class design are well pointed to by a
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PyChecker run. So the rewriting work isn't that bad, it will just be
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time-consuming.
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Future
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------
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See the separate new_design document for details. Ultimately, I would
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like to see IPython become part of the standard Python distribution as a
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'big brother with batteries' to the standard Python interactive
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interpreter. But that will never happen with the current state of the
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code, so all contributions are welcome.
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