The Astronomy Tools and Applications Branch of the Space Telescope Science Institute wishes to announce the availability of version 3.6 of the Space Telescope Science Data Analysis Software (STSDAS). Concurrent with the STSDAS release, we have also released v3.6 of the TABLES external package.....
Changelog and download details in the body of the story.
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TABLES/STSDAS v3.6 and STSCI_PYTHON v2.4 NOW AVAILABLE
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The Astronomy Tools and Applications Branch of the Space Telescope
Science Institute wishes to announce the availability of version
3.6 of the Space Telescope Science Data Analysis Software (STSDAS).
Concurrent with the STSDAS release, we have also released v3.6 of
the TABLES external package. Both of these packages are layered upon
IRAF as external packages; it is therefore necessary to obtain and
install IRAF (from http://iraf.noao.edu) before installing TABLES
and STSDAS. STSDAS is linked against libraries in TABLES, so TABLES
must be installed before STSDAS.
STSDAS includes some Python-based tasks; running these requires the
STScI Python Libraries to be installed (all the non-Python tasks
can be used in the traditional way and do not require Python
or the STScI Python libraries). These tasks can only be run from
PyRAF using standard IRAF CL task syntax, or within Python scripts
using Python syntax.
The Astronomy Tools and Applications Branch of STScI also wishes
to announce the availability of version 2.4 of STSCI_PYTHON. This
release includes updated versions of Multidrizzle and CALSTIS as used
by the HST ACS pipeline, along with new versions of aXe, saaclean,
numarray, PyFITS and PyRAF. Use of the Python tasks requires upgrading
to this version of STSCI_PYTHON.
LAST RELEASE TO USE NUMARRAY
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This release will also be the last release which uses numarray.
The next release (V2.5, expected in spring 2007) will include
software which relies on numpy instead. numpy is a 3rd-generation
array package for Python that includes all of numarray's features
and capabilities (and more) though with some changes in the user
interface. The next release will present details on what will
change. We will also post on the numarray web site in a few months
details to aid users of numarray in the switchover to numpy.
The switch to numpy will unify the Python scientific community in
the use of a common array package. This is a very desirable outcome
despite the inconvenience in making the switch.
Support for numarray will start to be phased out after the next
stsci_python release. Currently numarray is being maintained
and any major problems found will be fixed. No more significant
enhancements are being made. By V2.7 we will completely stop support
for numarray. PyFITS 1.1 will support both numarray and numpy (beta
versions have long been available). The dual support will end when
support for numarray is stopped.
WHERE TO OBTAIN THIS SOFTWARE
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STSDAS/TABLES v3.6 can be downloaded from the STSDAS web site
http://www.stsci.edu/resources/software_hardware/stsdas/download
Installation instructions are available on the web site. Precompiled
binaries also exist for some of the ports supported by NOAO, including
Sun Solaris, RedHat Linux and Mac OS X.
STSCI_PYTHON v 2.4 be downloaded from the PyRAF web site
http://www.stsci.edu/resources/software_hardware/pyraf/stsci_python/current/down
load
Installation instructions are available from the PyRAF
web site.
Please contact us through e-mail (help@stsci.edu), by telephone at
(410) 338-1082.