[Tutor] Help with range of months [was Tutor Digest, Vol 84, Issue 8]

[Steven D'Aprano]

Hi Nevins, I don't think I've seen you post here before. Welcome to the 
list!

Before answering your comment (see below), I have to give you a gentle 
wrap on the knuckles. It's considered impolite to:

(1) reply to a digest without changing the subject line from "Tutor 
Digest" to something more meaningful; and

(2) reply to a digest without trimming (deleting) the 200+ lines that 
have nothing to do with your comment;

both of which you have done.


Nevins Duret wrote:

[snip]
> I think the stigma of 
> the "homework bandwagon" comes from the very nature of coding and it's 
> secretive and cryptic undertones, it's something very personal in the 
> sense that, although there is usually more than 1 way to solve a 
> problem, there's always "THE MOST" and more efficient way IMHO, that 
> some people are just not willing to share.

I think you couldn't be more wrong to describe coding as "secretive and 
cryptic", and it is ironic that you are making this accusation on a 
mailing list crewed by volunteers who don't get a cent for donating 
their time and expertise to help others, using a programming language 
which has been donated for free to the programming community. Python is 
Open Source software -- not only is it free like "free beer", but it's 
also free like in "freedom of speech". If you want to see how secretive 
Python is, I suggest you go here:

http://www.python.org/download/source/

and download every single line of code used by the Python interpreter 
and the entire standard library, and then read the licence:

http://docs.python.org/license.html

which grants you the freedom to do anything you like with it, virtually 
without restriction. You might find that source code cryptic (I know I 
would find parts of it so), but that's a function of ignorance, not an 
inherent characteristic of programming.

Python is just one tiny part of the Free Software and Open Source 
movement(s), possibly and arguably best exemplified by the Free Software 
Foundation:

http://www.fsf.org/

and the GNU project:

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html


Of course there are always "some people", but with 7 billion people on 
the planet that applies to virtually anything. Speaking for myself, I 
have *never* withheld an answer to a question because I wanted to keep 
it to myself. I've *very occasionally* withheld answers because I 
thought the questioner was being a leach, taking without any possibility 
of giving back, or was rude and inconsiderate. I've frequently failed to 
answer because I'm busy and there are only so many hours in a day (so 
apologies to anyone waiting for a response from me who hasn't received one).



-- 
Steven