Scipy
Documentation
- start here: http://www.scipy.org/Documentation
- for matlab users: http://www.scipy.org/NumPy_for_Matlab_Users
- very useful are also the cookbook: http://www.scipy.org/Cookbook
- and the example list: http://www.scipy.org/Numpy_Example_List_With_Doc
- the ultimate reference is the guide to NumPy/SciPy by Travis Oliphant http://www.tramy.us/guidetoscipy.html
Installation (Win)
i heard that the easiest way to install all of these packages is from here: http://code.enthought.com/enthon/
Installation (Mac)
Developer Tools
you need to install the apple developer tools that ship with OSX.
Python 2.5
you need a more recent version of python than what ships with OSX. install python 2.5 from here: http://macpython.org/packages/py25-fat/ afterwards, you have to make sure that this is the python version that is actually used when you type 'python' in your terminal window. in order to chech that, type 'which python':
% which python /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/Current/bin/python
it is a good idea to put a symbolic link to python (and other programs, see below) in your /usr/local/bin directory.
sudo ln -s /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/Current/bin/python /usr/local/bin
in order to add /usr/local/bin to your path, put the following line into your ~/.cshrc file:
setenv PATH /usr/local/bin:${PATH}
(this is the syntax for the cshell. if you are using the bash, you have to put something like 'export PATH=/usr/local/bin:${PATH}' into your ~/.profile file)
Numpy
install numpy from the same web page http://macpython.org/packages/py25-fat/ give it a try by running 'python' and within python run the commands
import numpy numpy.test()
IPython
get ipython from here: http://ipython.scipy.org/dist/ipython-0.8.1.tar.gz
tar xvzf ipython-0.8.1.tar.gz python setup.py install
i recommend to link ipython into your /usr/local/bin directory:
sudo ln -s /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/Current/bin/ipython /usr/local/bin
now you should be able to start ipython in a terminal window:
ipython
you can customize ipython (for example the colors) by modifying the file
~/.ipython/ipythonrc
Matplotlib
install matplotlib from http://macpython.org/packages/py25-fat/
you can give it a try by running
ipython -pylab
and within ipython, run a simple plotting command like:
plot(rand(100))
you can customize matplotlib by modifying the file
~/.matplotlib/matplotlibrc
if this file does not exist, you can get a copy here:
mkdir ~/.matplotlib cp /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/Current/lib/python2.5/site-packages/matplotlib/mpl-data/matplotlibrc ~/.matplotlib
i recommend to change the following settings:
backend : TkAgg text.usetex : True
(of course, for it to work, you need to have latex installed)
Scipy
you can essentially follow the description on this web page: http://www.scipy.org/Installing_SciPy/Mac_OS_X
afterwards, you should run (within ipython)
import scipy scipy.test()
at the moment, all but 2 tests should run fine. the two remaining tests will be hopefully fixed soon.
