[Edu-sig] mentions of Py on Math Forum....

[kirby urner]

Brief mention of Python on Math Forum this morning, in same sentence
as Mathematica, though I don't see them as filling the same market
niche (partially overlapping though, yes):

http://mathforum.org/kb/thread.jspa?threadID=1949352&tstart=0

This guy Gary at work one time wanted my analysis of Mathematica vs.
Python in light of their MUMPS thing crapping out, and I was saying
how the former is more for front end analysis and publishing, whereas
Python likes to talk directly to SQL engines (maybe through ORM),
which isn't Mathematica's forte.

However, in saying this, I don't mean to slight Python's libraries
especially geared for front end publishing work, like this
professional color-coding package seems pretty high end for open
source (not my field though, as I'm more back office silo than
marketing, unless you count blogging as marketing (true in some
cases)).

http://code.google.com/p/python-colormath/

Regarding that digital math track I was talking about, there's a
GIS/GPS component in wanting to help students keep track of
environmental factors, such as community garden locations, big in
Portland these days, and feeding the move to bring back Home Economics
as a high school subject, lots of local politics I won't bore you with
(it's not as retro as it sounds, as we're looking at "cooking show" as
a TV production experience, not just breaking eggs and learning
weights and measures).

I haven't tried 3.1 yet, have been using dictionary versus list to
harp on the cardinality vs. ordinality distinction (per Midhat
Gazale), understand there's a "new kind of dictionary" that has
ordinal properties.  I mention that here:

http://mathforum.org/kb/thread.jspa?threadID=1949077&tstart=0

Reports from the field?  3.1 lore anyone?  My Ubuntu laptop died is
the thing, leaving me somewhat demoralized not to mention
semi-paralyzed, as a curriculum writer.  But I'm compensating, using
my "left foot" (WinXP box in a dusty back office).  Someday, there'll
be a budget for a replacement (I also have the XO, so could do it in
Pippy maybe).

Chauffeur duty calls, not to the airport this time...

Kirby
OCN/4D