Dr. Dobb's Python-URL! - weekly Python news and links (Aug 7)
Irmen de Jong
python-url at phaseit.net
Thu Aug 7 12:49:59 EDT 2003
QOTW: "To make the instructions even friendlier it would also help if 'but
Whatever You Do DON'T UNZIP THE FREAKIN' THING - This Means YOU John Latter!'
were in large, bold, and underlined type. And preferably a different colour."
-- John Latter,
on Python's install instructions
"[about significant whitespace, dynamic typing, interpreted:]
What's more, these are three of Python's greatest *strengths*. We
resist all attempts to change these, and we (at least I) avoid other
languages because they do not supply these features."
-- Gary Herron
Discussion
----------
Michele Simionato has written a nice graph drawing utility that makes
use of the "DOT" graph description language, while Bengt Richter
does it old-skool: in ASCII.
<http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/~micheles/python/drawMRO.html>
<http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=bg51s1$qp2$0@216.39.172.122>
There has been discussion on compiling Python with VC.NET. Anton
Vredegoor argues that Windows (and .NET) is just a platform amongst
many others. Also, Matt Gerrans provides answers to the question if
Python on .NET (and Java, too: jython) is worthwile.
<http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=bg309p$p2b$1@news.hccnet.nl>
<http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=bgagvp$u8k$1@slb5.atl.mindspring.net>
Last week we had the identifier-counter, this week Bengt Richter created
a book index creator (inspired by the question how to 'flatten' a dict).
<http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=bgi5tk$u1r$0@216.39.172.122>
Paul Rubin posted a floating-point range() method. It appears very
simple, but a few nasty issues are worth reading about in the replies.
<http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=7xwue3lbzy.fsf_-_@ruckus.brouhaha.com>
Fredrik Lundh shows how to decompress a gzipped string (for instance,
obtained from a HTTP server that uses gzip compression).
<http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=mailman.1059589546.1179.python-list@python.org>
Raymond Hettinger points us at a new page in Python's documentation
about unit testing. It shows how to run the tests directly instead
of running them from the command line, with path issues and all that.
<http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=w3DWa.2211$W%3.861@nwrdny01.gnilink.net>
In a big discussion about the qualities of the new datetime module,
and its relation to the older time and calendar modules, Andrew Dalke
writes about the usefullness of said new datetime module.
<http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=bgejrq$i54$1@slb6.atl.mindspring.net>
Announcements
-------------
Python 2.3 (final). Nineteen months in the making, Python 2.3 represents
a commitment to stability and improved performance, with a minimum
of new language features.
<http://www.python.org/2.3/>
Webware 0.8.1, a modular suite of Python components for developing Web
applications, using servlets, server pages, and more.
<http://webware.sourceforge.net/>
PyXML 0.8.3, the Python/XML distribution that contains the basic tools
required for processing XML data, including parsers and standard
interfaces such as SAX and DOM.
<http://pyxml.sourceforge.net/>
Anobind 0.5.0, a Python/XML data binding, which is just a fancy way of
saying it's a very Pythonic XML API. You feed Anobind an XML document
and it returns a data structure of corresponding Python objects.
<http://uche.ogbuji.net/tech/4Suite/anobind>
SC-Track Roundup 0.6.0b4, an issue tracking system that is
simple-to-use and -install with command-line, web and e-mail interfaces.
<http://roundup.sourceforge.net/>
Rebuild 1.0, a python module that replaces make. It is not a drop-in
replacement, and does not use "makefiles." Instead, it includes a
number of modules which try to be more intelligent about building
projects.
<http://staff.bbhc.org/christophern/exos/rebuild/index.html>
Python-mode (an X/Emacs major mode for editing Python source code)
has been sourceforged.
<http://sourceforge.net/projects/python-mode/>
e4Graph 1.0a8, a C++ library that provides a reliable, efficient
and portable persistent storage for graph like data.
<http://www.e4graph.com/e4graph/>
PythonCAD 9th release. This is a CAD package written in Python.
<http://www.pythoncad.org/>
PyKota 1.14, a complete Print Quota and Accounting solution
for CUPS and LPRng.
<http://www.librelogiciel.com/software/PyKota/action_Presentation>
David Mertz continues his article on Twisted.
<http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-twist2.html>
PyTables 0.7, a hierarchical database package designed to efficently
manage very large amounts of data.
<http://pytables.sourceforge.net/>
========================================================================
Everything you want is probably one or two clicks away in these pages:
Python.org's Python Language Website is the traditional
center of Pythonia
http://www.python.org
Notice especially the master FAQ
http://www.python.org/doc/FAQ.html
PythonWare complements the digest you're reading with the
daily python url
http://www.pythonware.com/daily
Mygale is a news-gathering webcrawler that specializes in (new)
World-Wide Web articles related to Python.
http://www.awaretek.com/nowak/mygale.html
While cosmetically similar, Mygale and the Daily Python-URL
are utterly different in their technologies and generally in
their results.
comp.lang.python.announce announces new Python software. Be
sure to scan this newly-revitalized newsgroup at least weekly.
http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_ugroup=comp.lang.python.announce
Brett Cannon continues the marvelous tradition established by
Andrew Kuchling and Michael Hudson of summarizing action on the
python-dev mailing list once every other week.
http://www.python.org/dev/summary/
The Python Package Index catalogues packages.
http://www.python.org/pypi/
The somewhat older Vaults of Parnassus ambitiously collects references
to all sorts of Python resources.
http://www.vex.net/~x/parnassus/
Much of Python's real work takes place on Special-Interest Group
mailing lists
http://www.python.org/sigs/
The Python Business Forum "further[s] the interests of companies
that base their business on ... Python."
http://www.python-in-business.org
The Python Software Foundation has replaced the Python Consortium
as an independent nexus of activity
http://www.python.org/psf/
Cetus does much of the same
http://www.cetus-links.org/oo_python.html
Python FAQTS
http://python.faqts.com/
The old Python "To-Do List" now lives principally in a
SourceForge reincarnation.
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=355470&group_id=5470&func=browse
http://python.sourceforge.net/peps/pep-0042.html
The online Python Journal is posted at pythonjournal.cognizor.com.
editor at pythonjournal.com and editor at pythonjournal.cognizor.com
welcome submission of material that helps people's understanding
of Python use, and offer Web presentation of your work.
*Py: the Journal of the Python Language*
http://www.pyzine.com
Archive probing tricks of the trade:
http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_ugroup=comp.lang.python&num=100
http://groups.google.com/groups?meta=site%3Dgroups%26group%3Dcomp.lang.python.*
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http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_q=+Python-URL!&as_ugroup=comp.lang.python
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