python tutorial

[steve]

"Steven D'Aprano" <steven at REMOVE.THIS.cybersource.com.au> wrote in message 
news:pan.2009.06.18.07.05.20 at REMOVE.THIS.cybersource.com.au...
> On Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:58:37 +1000, steve wrote:
>
>> "Steven D'Aprano" <steven at REMOVE.THIS.cybersource.com.au> wrote in
>> message news:pan.2009.06.18.01.42.51 at REMOVE.THIS.cybersource.com.au...
>>> On Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:36:01 +1000, steve wrote:
>>>
>>>> 1) Windows does not make a distinction between text and binary files.
>>>
>>> Of course it does.
> ...
>> Ok, Python makes a distinction between text and binary files.
>
> Microsoft have reported a bug where cmd.exe fails to recognise EOF in a
> text file:
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/156258
>
> The behaviour of reading past the \0x1A character is considered a bug,
> which says that cmd.exe at least (and by extension Windows apps in
> general) are expected to stop reading at \0x1A for text files.
>
>
> Technically, the Windows file systems record the length of text files and
> so an explicit EOF character is redundant, nevertheless, the behaviour of
> stopping the read at \0x1A is expected. Whether you want to claim it is
> "Windows" or "the Windows shell" or something else is a fine distinction
> that makes little difference in practice.
>
> Anyway, here's Raymond Chen of Microsoft explaining more:
>
> http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2004/03/16/90448.aspx
>
>
>
> -- 
> Steven

If you're pleased to be learning something about Windows, then
I'm pleased for you.

The reason that I didn't give a full discussion about the history of
DOS and Microsoft C was that I didn't think it was relevant to a
Python newsgroup.

My Bad. I didn't think anyone would care about the behaviour of
copy vs xcopy in DOS 6-.

I'd like to see the Tutorial corrected so that it gives some useful
information about the behaviour of Python.  As part of that, I'd like
to see it corrected so that it doesn't include patently false information,
but only because the patently false information about Windows
obscures the message about Python.

Believe me, I really don't care what myths you believe about
Windows, or why you believe them.  I've got a full and interesting
life of my own.

I'm only interested in getting the Python tutorial corrected so that it
gives some sensible information to someone who hasn't already had
the advantage of learning what the popular myths represent to the
Python community.

So far I've been pointed to a discussion of C, a discussion of DOS,
and a discussion of Windows NT 4.
Great. Glad to see that you know how to use the Internet.

I'll give you that if you already have a meaning to assign to those
meaningless words, you know more Python than I do.

And I'll give you that if you already have a meaning to assign to
those meaningless words, you know more Visual C than I do.

Is that all there is? You're going to leave the tutorial because
you can mount an obscure justification and it makes sense to
someone who already knows what it means?
Tell me it isn't so :~(