Newbie Using "Programming Python" 1st Ed. Question

[mowestusa]

Cameron,
You are right.  Those are the kind of activities that I would like to do
with Python.  I would like to learn to do those tasks and others that would
manipulate the text that I get off of the web.  Also I would like to write
simple little utilities that automate some of the things I need to remember
to do now or have to do through a long process.  I have so many little
utilities (mostly freeware) to do things that I would like to be able to
just write a quick little program that fits my situation and does the little
job I need done.

The online book on text processing looks like something that will interest
me.  I'm going to read that, thanks for the link.  As far as the web stuff I
was considering, I don't want a full blown cgi server side program.  I would
like to just make popup boxes and buttons that have little functions (these
are things that VBScript and Javascript have a corner market on, unless a
small Python add-in can be created for IE and other browsers).  I know I can
use Python for this on my machine with the ActiveState installation for
Windows.  I wasn't looking for a whole webserver situation.  Also I was
looking at Python to speed up some of my HTML editing and automate the
uploading process.  These things I invision as command-line programs.

mowestusa

"Cameron Laird" <claird at lairds.com> wrote in message
news:uvuj3talirgnb6 at corp.supernews.com...
> In article <PMHL9.1668$c52.183655 at newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net>,
> Tyler Eaves  <tyler at cg1.org> wrote:
> >Cameron Laird wrote:
> .
> .
> .
> >>>That's of no importance. VBScript, Javascript, and (some) Java runs on
the
> >>>client side. Python doesn't. Your webserver does all the work, the
browser
> >>>justs gets data.
> >>
> >> I believe mowestusa is saying something different,
> >> and certainly worthy of consideration.  He wants,
> >> if I understand correctly, to write little command-
> >> line utilities which extract information from Web
> >> sites and report back the temperature and wind
> >> reported at a particular latitude and longitude,
> >> or the current headlines at Slashdot, or the books
> >> he has checked out from his local library.  These
> >> are excellent tasks for Python, but he's quite
> >> right:  there is an issue sharing his work with
> >> others, for they might be unlikely to have Python
> >> installed.
> >
> >When's the last time you used VBScript or javascript for server-side
> >automation?
> >
>
> Years--not since the last time I was working on a book
> on the subject.
>
> I get the feeling you're making a point that's utterly
> lost on me.
> --
>
> Cameron Laird <Cameron at Lairds.com>
> Business:  http://www.Phaseit.net
> Personal:  http://phaseit.net/claird/home.html