New to Python, Discussion Groups.

[John Nagle]

cmoller wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am new to Python and the use of discussion groups. Is there a FAQ
> for basic information so certain questions are not repeated?
> 
> I am NOT an experienced programmer, but have decided to write a data
> logger for sensors sending data via an internal ethernet work to
> machines running OS X (Intel). The program should store data and allow
> real time plotting. It does not need a beautiful GUI, but I may want
> to share the program with others, so it should be somewhat intuitive.
> It looks like I could use Python to access MS Excel, which would
> significantly reduce the effort, but I am not sure if this is
> practical. I am not in a hurry and would approach the problem as a way
> to learn.
> 
> The data I am processing is readily seen via telnet so I know it's
> there.
> 
> Is Python a good choice or should I invest in learning a language well
> known to be best for applications like this? Are there other key
> topics in addition to network programing that I should be focusing on?

    This is certainly feasible, but you might find it faster to just buy
and use National Instruments LabView.

    I've done data logging from sensors over Ethernet, but used
QNX/Photon, which is useful if you want to do hard real-time
control, but overkill otherwise.

    You can certainly interface to sensors with Ethernet interfaces
from Python.  The difficulty of doing this depends on how well designed
the sensor output format is.  Some are awful.  Be aware of the need
for timeouts and the problems of dealing with devices which may be
turned off and on or which may not send when wanted.

					John Nagle