Error confusing a newbie

[Wayne Topa]

Hello

  I seem to have run into an error that I can't figure out.  I have
written a python program to replace a somewhat unintelligable perl
script I wrote about a year ago.  The python replacement (improvement)
is 1/4 the size and I can understand it!

  The problem is that when run with #> python net_time.py  it works
and does what I want.  But - see below.

mtntop:~# ls -l net_time.py
-rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root          835 Dec 10 09:52 net_time.py

mtntop:~# python net_time.py

Current Totals
013 Hours   0 Minutes  42 Seconds

mtntop:~# net_time.py
import: Unable to connect to X server () [No such file or directory].
from: can't read /var/spool/mail/DateTime.
./net_time.py: line 7: syntax error near unexpected token `open(''
./net_time.py: line 7: `input = open('/var/log/totalppp', 'r')'

Here is the script
---------------------------------------------
#!/usr/bin/env python

import string,sys
from DateTime import *

input = open('/var/log/totalppp', 'r')
times=input.readlines()
input.close()
diff=y=z=0
test=0
while (1):
  on = DateTimeFrom(times[z])
  out = DateTimeFrom(times[z+1])
  diff = diff + TimeDeltaFrom(out - on)
  if test:
    print 'Time on was %s' % on
    print 'Time off was %s ' % out
    this = TimeDeltaFrom(out - on)
    print ' This connection - %2i:%2i:%2i' %(this.hour, this.minute, this.second)
    print 'Current total = %s\n' %diff
  z = z + 2
  if z > (len(times)-1):
    break

print '\nCurrent Totals \n%03d Hours  %2i Minutes  %2i Seconds \n' % (diff.hour, diff.minute, diff.second)
---------------------------------------

I must be missing something.  Why does the X server error occur in
a script that uses the console?  Why (What) is looking for 
/var/spool/mail/DateTime?  What is causing the open to fail when run as
an excutable script?

I am suspect that I must not be doing something required by
DateTime, but I can't find and solution in the docs.

Any pointers to 'required' reading would be appreciated.

TIA

Wayne 
-- 
Computers can never replace human stupidity.
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