[IronPython] Newbie, feedback/question

[François Schnell]

Hello guys,

I'm a 'regular user' of CPython/WxPython/SPE_IDE and new to IronPython/
Silverlight (also learning Flex/Air).

What convinced me to also take some time with IronPython/.Net is the free
"Iron Python Studio" and Microsoft move with the Visual Studio Shell:
http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2007/06/09/vs_shell_eclipse/

Even if WxPython API is fine, it's been a long time I've been hoping for a
free "Visual Studio Python Express"-like, with a form designer to quickly
develop GUIs in particular.

My guess is that with this free (as in beer) IDE, IPY has the potential to
attract much more users especially students and hobbyists.

I just hope that Iron Python Studio is not just a proof of concept (to show
what can be done with the VS Isolated Shell) and that it will be maintained
and enhanced.
I say that because:
- I didn't find any link from Iron Python homepage to the Iron Python Studio
- it's been 5 days any developer/coordinator of Iron Python Studio have
replied in their discussions section? (unusual for a project just released)

Anyway, just a quick feedback from my newbie eye on Iron Python :)

* Concerning Tutorials (.html)

The tutorial in the download and the samples (link bellow) looks like a
great place to start and as a quick reference for examples:
http://www.codeplex.com/IronPython/Wiki/View.aspx?title=Samples&
referringTitle=Home

Unfortunately they are not visible to search-engines, hidden behind save-as,
unizip, double-clicks(many times).
I can understand the need to zip everything on a projects hosting pate-form
but I think the .html(s) pages deserve to be directly visible,
Is it possible?
(if help is needed to format them for a wiki for example I could help)

Also I wonder if a more permissive licence could be used to encourage the
use of this content (as opposed to the actual 90 years all-rights-reserved
US copyright). For example I might be interested to translate a part in
French (my mother tongue) and maybe to extend some examples. I've seen the
IP cookbook is under CC-BY (I think it's a great licence for docs) but if it
is too much, a CC licence without the Non-Derivative clause would already be
useful (for example both MIT Open Course Ware and Open Yale Courses use the
CC-BY-NC-SA licence).

* Concerning Lists / Discussion

I think lists are great for dev. teams but "forums/discussions"-like are
more used by 'learners', especially younger people like students (I guess
the "edit" link is reassuring).
Anyway Iron Python Studio project has the Discussion open. I think beginners
will use this place also for IronPython questions.
I don't now what is the plan about that but I think it would be nice to keep
an eye on this place to help beginners to Iron Python.

EDIT: As I was writing this (and waiting for a moderator to let me in the
list) a post has been sent in the IronPythonStudio discussion on this:
http://www.codeplex.com/IronPythonStudio/Thread/View.aspx?ThreadId=19414
I'm not sure it's the best solution but anyway thanks to Mircosoft for its
interest in Python and to the people behind Iron Python :)

francois
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