Newsletter First Edition

author Mfonobong Uyah · calendar Oct 19, 2024 ·
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Highlights:

  • OSL Grant News
  • pyOpenSci’s Upcoming Fall Festival Event
  • OSL Projects Development Report
  • Open Study Group

News: OSL Receives PSF Grant for MAKIM and ASTx Projects #

We're thrilled to announce that the Python Software Foundation (PSF) has granted funding to two of our key projects: MAKIM and ASTx. This support will help accelerate development and enhance the capabilities of these tools. Read on to learn more about these projects and the impact of the PSF grant.

About the Python Software Foundation #

Founded in March 2001, the Python Software Foundation (PSF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing and promoting the Python programming language. The PSF supports a wide range of open-source Python projects, fostering a vibrant and inclusive community.

Are You a Pythonista? Join the pyOpenSci Fall Festival 2024 #

Mark your calendars! Our partner is hosting a one-of-a-kind event. The pyOpenSci Fall Festival 2024 is an inaugural online meeting of Python, Open Science, and Open Source enthusiasts set to take place from October 28 to November 1, 2024.

The event promises to feature insightful talks, essential hands-on workshops, and office hours with numerous industry experts exchanging ideas and sharing experiences. Go here to learn more.

OSL Projects Development Report #

MAKIM Improvements #

MAKIM is a YAML-based task automation tool inspired by Make. It offers structured definitions for tasks and dependencies, supporting conditionals, arguments, grouping, variables, Jinja2 templating, and environment file integration.

Makim team has made several recent updates to the project, including the addition of new features supported by the PSF grant.

  • Added support for checking the .makim.yaml structure with a schema definition.
  • Added support for matrix variables for tasks.
  • Changed from dependencies support to hooks with pre and post run support.
  • Fixed text problems and issues in the continuous integration jobs.
  • Introduced support for interactive arguments, allowing for more dynamic user input.
  • Refactored the attribute "shell" to "backend," improving code clarity.
  • Updated the configuration for MyPy to ensure better type-checking practices.

Read more about MAKIM here.

ASTx Improvements #

ASTx is a language-agnostic expression structure designed primarily for the ArxLang project. However, it can be utilized by any programming language or parser to create high-level representations of Abstract Syntax Trees (AST).

ArxLang team has made several developmental improvements to ASTx, including the addition of new features supported by the PSF grant:

  • Added a new import statement feature for improved module management.
  • Implemented runtime type checking using Typeguard.
  • Enhanced type safety and reliability.
  • Improved the development configuration structure, and dependencies.
  • Added a transpiler from astx to python
  • Added support to complex32 and complex64
  • Added support to float16, and float64
  • Added support to uint8, uint16, unit32, uint64, uint128

If you would like to read more on ASTx, go here.

Sugar and SciCookie Both Have New Updates #

Sugar and SciCookie projects are also receiving updates. The latest PRs on the Sugar repository include:

  • Added support for checking the .sugar.yaml structure with a schema definition.
  • A fix for the Jinja2 template.
  • A refactor of the interface for plugins/extensions that moves the main command to the compose group.

On the SciCookie project, SciCookie team has added some feature and improvements:

  • Improved tests and infrastructure.
  • Added support to pixi with pyproject.
  • Added support to circleci.

What’s Next? How to Get Started Learning About OSL Projects and Activities #

  • Tour Our Website: Explore our mission, vision, contribution guidelines, and more on the OSL website.

  • Become a Member: Join our OSL Discord server to connect with like-minded individuals, contribute to discussions, and collaborate to project under OSL umbrella. Whether you have a technical background or are a new enthusiast, everyone is welcome!

  • Stay Connected: Follow us on LinkedIn and X to get updates about published articles and events before they hit your email.

  • Explore Our Projects and Ideas: Visit our YouTube channel. With 12 insightful videos already available and many more rolling out soon, you can learn how to install and use our most popular tools, as well as gain knowledge on programming languages, coding best practices, and past events.

Open Study Group #

Join our Open Study Group! Everyone is welcome to participate in our dedicated one-hour sessions designed to support your personal studies. Use this online meeting space to focus on your work, ask questions, and share updates about your progress. Whether you're tackling a new project, learning a new skill, or simply seeking a quiet time to study, our study group provides a supportive and collaborative environment to help you achieve your goals. Come connect with fellow learners and make the most of your study time together!

Ask for more information on our Discord.