Thanks for you kind words regarding ncdf4, Roy.
The maintenance of the R package that supplies a netcdf interface is
something that I have considered as well. I first released it over 10 years
ago and at some point it will likely not be possible for me to continue
sole-sourcing it. One of the biggest issues is support for Windows and the
Mac. Since I don't use R on WIndows and have no access to a Mac it's always
a struggle to keep the package working on those platforms. Please correct
me if I'm wrong, but the netcdf folks support binaries for Windows but not
in the format needed for R applications, which is mingw. So there is the
burden of creating Windows netcdf library binaries as well.
In the end, if the wider netcdf community was interested of the idea of
transitioning ncdf4 (and my other netcdf package, ncview, as well I
suppose) to a more Unidata or community supported model, as Roy may be
hinting, I certainly would be all for that.
Regards,
--Dave
On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 10:32 AM, Roy Mendelssohn <roy.mendelssohn@xxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> Hi All:
>
> Like I believe many researchers, more and more I am using a combination of
> R and Python, and I access netcdf files (or the remote equivalent) in these
> programs. For R I use the very nice ncdf4 package and for python the
> netcdf4-python package. My comment is that ncdf4 is maintained by the
> good graces of David Pierce at UCSD and the python package by the good
> graces of Jeff Whitaker there in Boulder. These are wonderful packages,
> but what if for some reason these two individuals are no longer able to
> maintain them?
>
> I notice that the python package is now at the more general netcdf github
> site - does this mean that Unidata has officially picked up this package
> and will support it even if Jeff is unable to? And what is the process for
> at least having Unidata consider picking up a package officially? I have
> more and more code depending on ncdf4 (thanks Dave!) and if you want
> there is presently a "single point of failure".
>
> Basically just throwing this out for discussion. But I would be in a good
> deal of hurt right now if either of those packages went away.
>
> Thanks,
>
> -Roy
>
>
>
> **********************
> "The contents of this message do not reflect any position of the U.S.
> Government or NOAA."
> **********************
> Roy Mendelssohn
> Supervisory Operations Research Analyst
> NOAA/NMFS
> Environmental Research Division
> Southwest Fisheries Science Center
> 1352 Lighthouse Avenue
> Pacific Grove, CA 93950-2097
>
> e-mail: Roy.Mendelssohn@xxxxxxxx (Note new e-mail address)
> voice: (831)-648-9029
> fax: (831)-648-8440
> www: http://www.pfeg.noaa.gov/
>
> "Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill."
> "From those who have been given much, much will be expected"
> "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice" -MLK
> Jr.
>
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--
David W. Pierce
Division of Climate, Atmospheric Science, and Physical Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, USA
(858) 534-8276 (voice) / (858) 534-8561 (fax) dpierce@xxxxxxxx
