Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language

[Mark Lawrence]

On 12/12/2013 14:34, wxjmfauth at gmail.com wrote:
> Le jeudi 12 décembre 2013 11:28:35 UTC+1, Chris Angelico a écrit :
>> On Thu, Dec 12, 2013 at 8:17 PM,  <wxjmfauth at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Windows, Py2.(7), ascii. It is not a secret Python uses
>>
>>> ascii for the representation.
>>
>>
>>
>> Actually no, it doesn't.
>>
>>
>>
>> Python 2.7.4 (default, Apr  6 2013, 19:54:46) [MSC v.1500 32 bit
>>
>> (Intel)] on win32
>>
>>>>> s = "abcd\xa9"
>>
>>>>> print(s)
>>
>> abcd©
>>
>>
>>
>> The copyright symbol is not in ASCII. Are you suggesting that Python
>>
>> uses a 7-bit internal representation of this data? Because a quick
>>
>> squiz at the source code will prove that wrong. This is not ASCII.
>>
>>
>
>>>> sys.version
> '2.7.6 (default, Nov 10 2013, 19:24:18) [MSC v.1500 32 bit (Intel)]'
>>>> sys.stdout.encoding
> 'cp1252'
>>>> s = 'abc\xa9'
>>>> t = 'abc©'
>>>> s
> 'abc\xa9'
>>>> t
> 'abc\xa9'
>>>> print s, t, (s, t)
> abc© abc© ('abc\xa9', 'abc\xa9')
>>>> def HumanStr(o):
> 	t = repr(o)
> 	newt = t.replace('\\xa9', '©')
> 	return newt
>
>>>> print s, t, (s, t), HumanStr((s, t))
> abc© abc© ('abc\xa9', 'abc\xa9') ('abc©', 'abc©')
>>>>
>
> jmf
>
> PS I do not insist on "sys.displayhook"
>
> PS2 I can only congratulate this Turkish guy for
> his understanding of Python
>

I understand that this Turkish guy will be added to the list here 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_Award next year for his stunning 
contribution to the field of computer science.  The year after he will 
win the award again for his outstanding contribution which prevents 
people from sending double spaced crap to this list.

-- 
My fellow Pythonistas, ask not what our language can do for you, ask 
what you can do for our language.

Mark Lawrence