What do we call ourselves?

[John Leach]

This is getting totally off the point, but did Red Hat name one of their
distributions Hedwig after Harry Potter's owl or was it named for something
else?
John Leach
pythonista-manque


Ivan Van Laningham wrote in message <3850734D.FD1D7A2C at callware.com>...
>Hi All--
>There's been some discussion over the last couple of years over the
>matter of how to refer to those who write Python for love, money or the
>greater glory of Monty.
>
>I have always favored Pythonista, because of its "attacking from the
>bushes" flavor ("nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition"), but others
>have offered Pythoneer, Pythonist, and several others which I cannot now
>remember.
>
>This evening, however, I was struck by a thought (our cat Harley is
>occasionally "struck by a thought," too, rather visibly--her eyes go
>blank, her ears go straight up, and she stares off into space with her
>mouth slightly open).  I seemed to remember something from the middle
>Harry Potter book, _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_.  I dug it
>out from underneath several occupation layers, and leafed through it.
>Ah, yes.  There it is:  page 194.
>
>"...the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell
>back to the floor with a loud smack.  Enraged, hissing furiously, it
>slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised itself
>again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.
>
>"Harry wasn't sure what made him do it.  He wasn't even aware of
>deciding to do it.  All he knew was that his legs were carrying him
>forward as though he was on casters and that he had shouted stupidly at
>the snake, "Leave him alone!"  And miraculously--inexplicably--the snake
>slumped to the floor, docile as a thick, black garden hose, its eyes now
>on Harry.  Harry felt the fear drain out of him.  He knew the snake
>wouldn't attack anyone now, though how he knew it, he couldn't have
>explained. ...
>
>"[Ron and Hermione] pushed Harry into and armchair and said, 'You're a
>Parselmouth.  Why didn't you tell us?'
>
>"'I'm a what?' said Harry.
>
>"'A _Parselmouth_!' said Ron.  'You can talk to snakes!'"
>
>--_Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_, by J.K. Rowling.  Arthur A.
>Levine Books, New York:  1999.
>
>A Parselmouth understands parseltongue, it says later in the book.
>Presumably, speaking, reading and writing all come under the rubric of
>understanding.
>
>Quod erat demonstrandum:  we are all Parselmouths!
>
><and-this-is-snake-language>-ly y'rs,
>Ivan
>----------------------------------------------
>Ivan Van Laningham
>Callware Technologies, Inc.
>ivanlan at callware.com
>ivanlan at home.com
>http://www.pauahtun.org
>See also:
>http://www.foretec.com/python/workshops/1998-11/proceedings.html
>Army Signal Corps:  Cu Chi, Class of '70
>Author:  Teach Yourself Python in 24 Hours
>----------------------------------------------
>