Python-URL! - weekly Python news and links (Mar 28)

Sat Mar 28 08:57:15 EDT 2009

QOTW:  "Knowing C++ does tend to be a bit of a handicap, but I think
any competent programmer could learn Python." - Grant Edwards

    Introducing Python to others - which amazing features to show?
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/6e366356eca17c98/

    Do deep inheritance trees degrade efficiency?
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/b6d3bc9aabaa1c2/

    Don't use "is" to compare bound methods:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/649d8c41ae7da979/

    Using a dictionary to represent a "sparse" mapping:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/37799c1005fd238/

    From linked lists to state machines: different ways to represent the
    same structure:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/18b1db683ee947a2/

    The next() builtin for iterators may take a not-so-well-known second
    argument:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/71af51f9dbd606f/

    Python as a shell scripting language:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/dde1046e530afee1/

    What does "64-bit Python" mean exactly?
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/f2de87ea01d6e28d/

    The best way to check for an empty list:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/d675130d1be127a0/

    Garbage collection, cyclic references and finalizers discussed:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/82ebfec89bcc906c/

    Why methods like x.tolist() aren't widely used (and we use list(x)
    instead) http:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/b2040ed503581f15/

    Relative imports are *not* the same as relative #include in C/C++:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/5056d44549082313/

    Doing multiple calls to Py_Initialize/Py_Finalize isn't safe:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/7b8eef94aa2af6f7/

    3.1a1 file I/O is much faster than 3.0, and this greatly impacts pickle
    performance:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/1bb5c57a8f2e736e/

    The decline of c.l.p over the years (according to some!)
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/ad08eb9eb83a4e61/d30aaa479aa3c2a8?#d30aaa479aa3c2a8

========================================================================
Everything Python-related 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
    marvelous daily python url
         http://www.pythonware.com/daily

    Just beginning with Python?  This page is a great place to start:
	http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide/Programmers

    The Python Papers aims to publish "the efforts of Python enthusiats":
	http://pythonpapers.org/
    The Python Magazine is a technical monthly devoted to Python:
	http://pythonmagazine.com

    Readers have recommended the "Planet" sites:
	http://planetpython.org
	http://planet.python.org

    comp.lang.python.announce announces new Python software.  Be
    sure to scan this newsgroup weekly.
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python.announce/topics

    Python411 indexes "podcasts ... to help people learn Python ..."
    Updates appear more-than-weekly:
        http://www.awaretek.com/python/index.html

    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/

    Python Success Stories--from air-traffic control to on-line
    match-making--can inspire you or decision-makers to whom you're
    subject with a vision of what the language makes practical.
        http://www.pythonology.com/success

    The Python Software Foundation (PSF) has replaced the Python
    Consortium as an independent nexus of activity.  It has official
    responsibility for Python's development and maintenance.
        http://www.python.org/psf/
    Among the ways you can support PSF is with a donation.
        http://www.python.org/psf/donations/

    The Summary of Python Tracker Issues is an automatically generated
    report summarizing new bugs, closed ones, and patch submissions. 
        http://search.gmane.org/?author=status%40bugs.python.org&group=gmane.comp.python.devel&sort=date

    Although unmaintained since 2002, the Cetus collection of Python
    hyperlinks retains a few gems.
        http://www.cetus-links.org/oo_python.html

    Python FAQTS
        http://python.faqts.com/

    The Cookbook is a collaborative effort to capture useful and
    interesting recipes.
	http://code.activestate.com/recipes/langs/python/

    Many Python conferences around the world are in preparation.
    Watch this space for links to them.

    Among several Python-oriented RSS/RDF feeds available, see:
        http://www.python.org/channews.rdf
    For more, see:
        http://www.syndic8.com/feedlist.php?ShowMatch=python&ShowStatus=all
    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://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0042/

    del.icio.us presents an intriguing approach to reference commentary.
    It already aggregates quite a bit of Python intelligence.
        http://del.icio.us/tag/python

    *Py: the Journal of the Python Language*
        http://www.pyzine.com

    Dr.Dobb's Portal is another source of Python news and articles:
        http://www.ddj.com/TechSearch/searchResults.jhtml?queryText=python
    and Python articles regularly appear at IBM DeveloperWorks:
        http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/search/searchResults.jsp?searchSite=dW&searchScope=dW&encodedQuery=python&rankprofile=8

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