From: Quinn Dunkan <quinn@yak.ugcs.caltech.edu> To: Dr.Dobb's.Python-URL.distribution@starbase.neosoft.com Subject: Dr. Dobb's Python-URL! - weekly Python news and links (Oct 4) Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 08:38:03 -0500 (CDT) QOTW: "[T]he increased productivity we achieve with Python means that there is often no need to hire any more developers after your first Pythonista ;). Also, "I never cease to be amazed by how quickly ideas become reality using Python." More propaganda to air-drop into heathen kingdoms: http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=4su7rt0fphqhvcrctnktgiejfobm6uhops%404ax.com The popular subject of interfaces and signature-oriented polymorphism comes up again. Essentially, the question is: When someone wants a "file-like object", how file-like should it be? Carl says (paraphrased) "as file-like as makes sense in this situation" and (not paraphrased) "the idea that we need to have one definitive definition for a file-like object (or any class of objects) is not that useful". Titus wants to know how to write library code which doesn't break when such expectations are violated. As is the custom with such discussions, eventually haskell comes up: http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=9orb19%24ba6%241%40slb6.atl.mindspring.net In python, regexps are not the end-all be-all that they are in some other languages. Bruce has a simple question about parsing text, which turns into a discussion of the relative merits of scanf, regexps, and string methods. Duncan sums it up: "regexps are wonderful: in moderation" http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=3BB16A50.BAE082FE%40cygnus-software.com Pre-2.2 python has an all or nothing attribute accessor scheme: either all attribute setting goes through __setattr__, or all attribute setting is direct. Dale wants to avoid the overhead by only checking certain attributes, which is not possible (unless you create a separate sub-object), but Tim points out that 2.2 allows readers and writers for individual attributes: http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=9lajrtcqsojv72nr88c7j6kmdapjo44vc0%404ax.com Steve gives an ultra condensed tutorial on the ever-popular BSD sockets, as well as a link to Gordon's python socket tutorial. Others point out that higher level interfaces like urllib or (if you want to write a server) medusa are often more appropriate, but if you want to know the low level details { http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=T8ku7.20537%24ib.310289%40atlpnn01.usenetserver.com Gordon's tutorial: http://www.mcmillan-inc.com/sock1.html PyDoc is cool. It's in the standard distribution, but it's easy to overlook these things: http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=uramrt8s8k654eea7g46b62oe8474lj4ji%404ax.com ======================================================================== Everything you want is probably one or two clicks away in these pages: Python.org's Python Language Website is the traditional center of Pythonia http://www.python.org Notice especially the master FAQ http://www.python.org/doc/FAQ.html PythonWare complements the digest you're reading with the daily python url http://www.pythonware.com/daily comp.lang.python.announce announces new Python software. Be sure to scan this newly-revitalized newsgroup at least weekly. http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_ugroup=comp.lang.python.announce Michael Hudson continues Andrew Kuchling's marvelous tradition of summarizing action on the python-dev mailing list once every other week. http://starship.python.net/crew/mwh/summaries/ http://www.amk.ca/python/dev The Vaults of Parnassus ambitiously collect Python resources http://www.vex.net/~x/parnassus/ Much of Python's real work takes place on Special-Interest Group mailing lists http://www.python.org/sigs/ The Python Software Foundation has replaced the Python Consortium as an independent nexus of activity http://www.python.org/psf/ Cetus does much of the same http://www.cetus-links.de/oo_python.html Python FAQTS http://python.faqts.com/ The old Python "To-Do List" now lives principally in a SourceForge reincarnation. http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=355470&group_id=5470&func=browse http://python.sourceforge.net/peps/pep-0042.html Python Journal is at work on its second issue http://www.pythonjournal.com Links2Go is a new semi-automated link collection; it's impressive what AI can generate http://www.links2go.com/search?search=python Archive probing tricks of the trade: http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_ugroup=comp.lang.python&num=100 http://groups.google.com/groups?meta=site%3Dgroups%26group%3Dcomp.lang.python.* Previous - (U)se the (R)esource, (L)uke! - messages are listed here: http://www.ddj.com/topics/pythonurl/ http://purl.org/thecliff/python/url.html (dormant) or http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_q=+Python-URL!&as_ugroup=comp.lang.python Suggestions/corrections for next week's posting are always welcome. [http://www.egroups.com/list/python-url-leads/ is hibernating. Just e-mail us ideas directly.] To receive a new issue of this posting in e-mail each Monday morning, ask <claird@neosoft.com> to subscribe. Mention "Python-URL!". -- The Python-URL! Team-- Dr. Dobb's Journal (http://www.ddj.com) is pleased to participate in and sponsor the "Python-URL!" project.