Release v2.6.0 - Unreleased changes since v2.5.4

[ChrisRackauckas-Claude]

Release Needed for v2.6.0

The current version in setup.py has been bumped to 2.6.0 (in commit c29edaf on branch version-bump-20251230-100136), but there are unreleased changes that need to be published.

Current Status

• Current version in setup.py: 2.6.0 (bumped from 2.5.4)
• Latest GitHub release: v2.5.0 (Dec 1, 2024)
• Latest PyPI release: 2.5.4 (published but no corresponding GitHub release)
• Unreleased commits: 6 commits since version 2.5.4 was set

Changes Since v2.5.4

The following significant changes have been merged since version 2.5.4 was set in setup.py:

1. PR Make jill an optional dependency with lazy import #162 (commit 3119d26): Make jill an optional dependency with lazy import

   • Removes top-level import of jill.install
   • Lazy imports jill only when Julia needs to be installed
   • Provides clear error message when jill is needed but not installed
   • Allows users with Julia already installed to use diffeqpy without installing jill

2. PR Fix CI to use latest package versions #163 (commits 383f2a1, 39c8d63): Fix CI to use latest package versions

   • Updates CI configuration
   • Cleans up tox.ini

Action Required

To release v2.6.0:

1. Merge the version bump: Merge branch version-bump-20251230-100136 or apply the version bump to master
2. Create GitHub release: Create a new release v2.6.0 on GitHub
3. Publish to PyPI: Run the PyPI publishing workflow or manually publish:

   python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel
   twine upload dist/*

4. Tag the release: Ensure a git tag v2.6.0 is created and pushed

Commit Hash

The version bump commit is: c29edaf

cc @ChrisRackauckas