Bug#908150: ITP: gnucap-python -- Python bindings for the GNU circuit analysis package

[Felix Salfelder <felix@salfelder.org>]

Package: wnpp
Severity: wishlist
Owner: Felix Salfelder <felix@salfelder.org>

* Package name    : gnucap-python
  Version         : 0.0.0
  Upstream Authors: Felix Salfelder <felix@salfelder.org>,
                    Henrik Johansson (-2009?)
* URL             : http://gnucap.org/dokuwiki/doku.php/gnucap:user:gnucap_python
* License         : GPLv3
  Programming Lang: C++, Python, Swig
  Description     : Python bindings and command plugin for the GNU
                    circuit analysis package

This package implements Python bindings for the Gnucap library. It
provides a Gnucap command plugin that runs Python scripts and loads
extensions written in the Python language.
.
Gnucap is a general purpose circuit simulator. It performs nonlinear
dc and transient analyses, Fourier analysis, and ac analysis
linearized at an operating point. It is fully interactive and
command driven. It can also be run in batch mode or as a server.

> [..] also include as much relevant information as possible.
>  - why is this package useful/relevant?
>    is it a dependency for another package? do you use it?

This package provides glue between a circuit simulator (Gnucap) and a
general purpose command interpreter (Python). I use it for teaching,
plotting and optimisation.

>  - if there are other packages, how does it compare?

There are other cicuit simulators, but they are all limited in their own
ways, essentially ngspice. None of them provides python bindings.

> - How do you plan to maintain it? [..] do you need a sponsor?

Will be team-maintained within the electronics team. Ruben Undheim (DD)
has offered sponsorship.

> Reasons why a new package might get rejected nevertheless
> Especially if the archive already contains analogous packages,
> following reasons might be presented
>    The software is very immature (version 0.1-alpha or something like that).

This is the first release with a low version number, not 100% complete
but usable. The implementation aligns to Gnucap architecture, which is
has evolved within the last 30 years, aiming at high quality and
stability.  Further development of this package will mostly add things,
not change much of it.

> It's a simple script or very small program, and should be merged
> (either upstream or downstream) with another package.

Gnucap will always be modular. There are no plans to merge any of the
parts, especially not those with third party dependencies (such as
Python).

thanks