Re: package autoload

[oheim]

Am 15.04.2016 13:42 schrieb LachlanA:
> bpabbott wrote
> > > On Apr 15, 2016, at 07:47, Juan Pablo Carbajal <
>
> > ajuanpi+dev@
>
> > > wrote:
> > > Toolboxes in matlab do not autoload
> >
> > I've been using Matlab since 1990. I don't use many toolboxes, but 
> > none of
> > the toolboxes I have used require loading (optimization, for example).
> >
> > Afaik, loading a toolbox is as simple as placing it in the path.
> >
> > Ben
>
> I think you are correct, Ben.  However, from what I gather, "loading" 
> an
> Octave package is also simply adding it to the path.  Carnë explained 
> on
> Tracker that we don't always want all the installed packages in the 
> path
> because some conflict with each other, and some overload built-in 
> functions.
>
> My personal belief is that the __unimplemented__ function, which 
> currently
> tells us which package we should load, should just load the package and
> continue (unless the same function is implemented in multiple packages, 
> in
> which case it should list all of those packages and give an error).
>
> That would most closely emulate the Matlab experience, while avoiding 
> the
> problems Carnë described.
>
> Cheers,
> Lachlan


Removal of autoload will (hopefully) have one big advantage: That people 
add “pkg load” commands at the beginning of their script files. This 
will make the script files portable(*) and other users can easily tell 
that they miss a particular package if the script stops right at the 
start on their computer.

I find this particularly important in scientific publications when you 
can easily tell from a script which packages the author has intended to 
use. Compare this with other languages where you have 
import-/use-statements for functions that your source code uses (and you 
need in your namespace).

(*) although it might break compatibility with MATLAB, I don't know.

Oliver