[Edu-sig] Learn to Program in Ten Years

[Arthur]

On Sun, 2004-12-26 at 16:24 -0800, Kirby Urner wrote:
> 
> Whatever happened to the scenario in which VPython gets a big grant to
> improve a great deal?  Didn't that pan out?  It'd seem that one broad
> category that could use some work, in the VPython side, is "plays well with
> others."

Well, you're kind of setting me up here.

Yes VPython has a substantial NSF grant.  Substantial enough to fund
Python 3.0, or at least a good ways towards it.

But despite the best efforts of the guy actually doing the coding -
Jonathan Brandenmeyer - it is still a Bruce project.  And though Bruce
thought nothing of pressing Guido to accommodate his needs as to Idle
issues and division operators, I don't think he sees any need to
accommodate anything or anyone else. 

On the immediate issue we are discussing, Sherwood makes no bones about
the fact he sees the interactive prompt as a useless feature. His "data"
supports the fact that no one gives a shit about it. Which is why he
chooses to have his distribution overwrite a standard Python library
file to get his way as to the default start-up of Idle. 

Asking Bruce to spend a nickel of his funding to try to get this problem
solved is useless.

In short, Bruce's interest in VPython is narrow.  

A good part of that interest, I am afraid, may have been satisfied when
he *got* his funding.

Not a nice thing to say, but the man has gotten to me, big time.

Art



> > I wonder what, if anything, could be done from the VPython side to make
> > it friendlier, without it losing it's uniqueness.  Understanding that
> > part of that uniqueness is the fact that the display is just implicitly
> > there. As you know,
> > 
> 
> I have the same question.
> 
> > >>import visual
> > >>visual.sphere()
> > 
> > is sufficient to create not only a sphere() but an entire rendering
> > context and display for itself. I am guessing that is accomplished in
> > ways other programs needing to cooperate with VPython tend not to like.
> > 
> 
> I bet you're right.
> 
> > I am at a loss to chip in to finding a solution.  But a weekend spent
> > trying to get deeper into boost::python and GTK indicates some real
> > interest in the problem, and at least good intentions ;)
> > 
> > Art
>  
> Yeah, s'been an interesting and productive thread.  Thanks for keeping it
> turning.
> 
> Kirby
> 
> 
> F