Re: [Gretl-users] Wishlist: Forecasting "Keynesian Distribution" - a superset of gretl, R & Fairmodel
On Wed, 20 Jul 2005, James.Callahan(a)CityofOrlando.net wrote:
What I would like to see is a macroeconomic forecasting
environment that is a superset of gretl.
Fine by me. I'm working on the gretl component ;-)
Rather than trying to enhance gretl to be a scripting language --
from an armchair perspective (not hands on at the moment) it would
seem to make more sense to call the gretl API from PYTHON.
Gretl already incorporates a scripting language. The issue is how
far this should be extended -- e.g. is it worth developing gretl
scripting to the point where the user can manipulate matrices in
arbitrary ways?
PYTHON could provide the command line and GUI interface, as well
as a scripting language; while gretl would provide the statistical
tools and objects.
My knowledge of python is limited, but my impression is that it is
good at providing a high-level "meta" layer. On the other hand, it
can't do anything gui-wise unless it is (for example) bound to GTK
(which provides gretl's gui at present).
But utilizing python's GTK bindings to support custom extensions to
gretl's gui might be an interesting approach.
Incorporating FP would require the explicit permission of
Professor Fair...
That may be OK for a superset, but not for gretl itself. Any code
that is to go into gretl must be under the GPL or the moral
equivalent of same.
A professor teaching Freshman macroeconomics could have students
do cookbook excerises such as estimating a consumption function or
doing a predetermined macroeconomic simulation, "just type the
commands in the book."
I don't want to be deflationary, but you can do this just fine with
gretl as is. I have done so.
Allin Cottrell