Python Newbie

[Gene Heskett]

On Saturday 23 February 2013 12:03:00 Ethan Furman did opine:

> On 02/23/2013 07:51 AM, Chris Angelico wrote:
> > Steve, why do you say you're not a developer? A score of languages
> > under your belt, choosing to write code in your spare time, and
> > speaking competently on the comparative merits of different languages
> > and why you made the decision you made - sounds like you're every bit
> > a coder. Don't run yourself down so! :)
> 
> +1

I'll add another +1 to that.  My /main/ coding expertise, such as it is, is 
in assembly on the 6x09 cpu's.  Sure, I've done stuff in C, and in Basic09, 
but when I sit down to do a serious bit of code for that platform that 
doesn't need fancy trig functions, I do it in assembly.  Why?  The closer I 
can get to the hardware, the fewer surprises I find.  I can handle input 
errors for every possible error just by testing for legal input, and if not 
legal, branch to output a help screen to the dummy that cannot type.  Often 
me. :)  Quick stuff that does require some math gets done in basic09 which 
is good to about 8-9 digits, or calculating the next eclipse, based on 
julian dates, gets done in C where I have doubles and 17 digit floats 
available.

And I have quite a few bash scripts, often running as background daemons, 
that greatly simplicate my daily activities.  KMail for instance, doesn't 
have to take 2 minute timeouts while it fetches new mail is one of them. So 
my email is a matter of tapping the + key for the next message, replying if 
I want to & clicking send.  Everything else is automatic.  Ditto if I am 
working on the old machine & need a printout, I just send the text file 
from the assembler to device /p, and 15 seconds later a laser printer on 
that desk fires up and spits out my listing at 22 ppm. /p actually feeds a 
ser-usb adapter, its output is captured on this machine, sent to cups for 
rendering & sent back down the same cable to the printer also plugged into 
that usb hub.  To me there is zero point in having to stop & look up the 
command line syntax to drive lp with a 100 character command line when 
except for the filename to print, it never changes.  Put it in a bash 
script that doesn't make typu's.

So I am a programmer in that sense, just not at the level of abstraction 
that python has to offer.

I am here because I was hoping some knowledge leakage would help me to 
understand python, but at my age I am beginning to have to admit the level 
of abstraction is something I may never fully grok.  If I ever find a 
python book that literally starts at square one, it _will_ come home with 
me though.

But I have too many hobbies too, I have a BP rifle that needs a trip to the 
range this afternoon for some exercise. :)

Cheers, Gene
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