Python in a Nutshell v2.5 shortcomings

[Alex Martelli]

Bjoern Schliessmann <usenet-mail-0306.20.chr0n0ss at spamgourmet.com>
wrote:

> Alex Martelli wrote:
> 
> > I do know that the 2nd edition of Python in a Nutshell tries to do
> > so, but falls quite a bit short on a number of important new
> > additions to the library
> 
> Which, if I may ask?

For example, all I say about ctypes is that it's scheduled to be added
to the standard library in Python 2.5, plus the URL to theller's pages
on it; it's surely worth at least the 5 pages I devoted to covering
Pyrex (considering that the latter is not in the standard library), not
just 5 lines:-(.  Similarly, ElementTree is essentially just mentioned,
not really covered (while it would deserve the 10-12 pages that I
instead used to cover minidom), and SQLite gets less than a page
(probably enough for elementary use, since the DBAPI _is_ well covered,
but 2-3 pages with advanced issues and a relatively long examples would
have been better).

You could say, for 2.5 coverage, the book is missing about 20 pages it
should have -- not all that much, in comparison to the 700 pages it does
have, but not ideal (as for the "new compiler stuff" -- modules
compiler, parser, symbol, etc -- I'm not even sure how long it would
take to do them justice... perhaps another 20-30 pages... but perhaps
those subjects are a bit too exoteric to keep expanding the book!-).


Alex