what would you like to see in a 2nd edition Nutshell?

[Alex Martelli]

Steven Chan <mr_chan at uclink.berkeley.edu> wrote:

> I completely agree. I'm also waiting for an advanced Python/project
> management book that helps folks out with large-scale projects.

I won't schedule that project until the Nutshell 2nd ed is substantially
done... and I'm not _promising_ I'll schedule it right afterwards;-).

> And, for the 2nd edition, may I suggest:
> - coverage of OptionParser module, which is more advanced than the
> getopt module that you discuss on page 141.

I assume you mean optparse -- that's the module; OptionParser is a class
within that module.  Yep, covering that is in the plan.

> - better Mac OS X application building coverage. Tell us how to build
> double-clickable applications.

Python in a Nutshell is a book about *cross-platform* Python.  There is
practically no *WINDOWS*-specific coverage -- 80% of the market or
whatever -- it would be absurd if there was platform-specific coverage
for a (wonderful) system that has less than 1/10th as much volume (and
much as I may be rooting for the mac mini to revolutionize the market, I
suspect it will only make a relatively small, incremental difference).

I *WISH* I could write a book about Python on the Mac -- ever since I
got my iBook, over a year ago, it's been my love and joy, and as soon as
I had to change a desktop machine I got myself a dual processor G5
PowerMac too.  However, when I proposed that idea to O'Reilly, their
reaction was a firm no -- it's too narrow a market, they think (and,
being the premier publisher for both the Mac AND Python, they should
know, if anybody does).

I don't know if this perception of O'Reilly can be changed.  If it ever
does change, I sure hope they'll call me first, to do that book...!!!


> I wish I could ask for wxPython coverage (the whole chapter on tkinter
> is useless to me), but I won't start a flame war here.

As long as Tkinter is distributed with standard Python and not
deprecated, it's unlikely that a reference work about Python can just
quietly ignore it.  If standard Python changed in this respect, I would
of course take that into account in the next following edition!-)


Alex