linkpred is in maintenance mode

[rafguns]

I have decided to put linkpred in maintenance mode. Here's some information on what that means as well as the reasons behind this decision.

What can you expect? I will fix critical bugs and may also fix minor bugs if feasible. Furthermore, I will also try to keep the package usable in a modern Python installation, i.e. make changes to keep it working under newer Python versions and recent versions of numpy, networkx etc. The general idea is that if you have been using linkpred before, you shouldn't be required to keep an ancient installation lying around just to be able to use it.

What not to expect? Most likely, I will not implement any new features. Neither will I make big architectural changes to how linkpred works.

Why? Several reasons:

• De facto linkpred has been in maintenance mode for a few years at least. It's time to make this explicit, so users can make an informed decision on whether or not to use this software.
• I haven't done any link prediction work for several years. Linkpred started as a way of 'scratching my own itch', but that doesn't apply anymore.
• The previous point also entails that I'm not up-to-date on current evolutions in link prediction research. So even if I wanted to, say, implement newer link prediction algorithms, I wouldn't be able to without significant effort.
• Some fairly big architectural changes are needed to get the package to a state where new feature development would really pay off (especially on the evaluation side, see Simplify evaluation to plain functions #3, Make linkpred easier to use from within Python #10). I lack the time and energy to put in all that work for something I don't use myself.