Mailman 3 February 2002 - Python-announce-list

Sybase module 0.33pre3 released
by Dave Cole 14 Feb '02

14 Feb '02

What is it: The Sybase module provides a Python interface to the Sybase relational database system. It supports all of the Python Database API, version 2.0 with extensions. Note: Since the 0.32 release I have come to the realisation that the Sybase dynamic SQL functionality is not nearly general enough to use for correct DB-API functionality. I have thrown up my hands and gone back to the drawing board with the high level Sybase.py module. Status of 0.33pre2: The 0.33pre2 release seems to be quite solid. I have not received any complaints from any of the 10 (count them) people who downloaded the module. Ben Gertzfield managed to implement a multi-threaded whois server on top of the 0.32pre2 release. Changes for 0.33pre3: 1) Release 0.32pre2 changed the paramstyle to 'format'. Shai Berger sent me some valuable advice on how to continue to send binary parameters to the server without using ct_dynamic() so the paramstyle is now 'named'. This means that you can now do this: c.execute("select * from titles where title like @arg", { '@arg': 'The %' }) 2) You can send arguments to Cursor.callproc() the old way: c.callproc('sp_help', ['titles']) or the new way: c.callproc('sp_help', { '@objname': 'titles' }) 3) Some internal cursor state constants were privatised (via leading '_'). Sadly no money was raised in the process and the conditions of the privatisation contract are commercial-in-confidence. 4) You can now compile the extension module without bulkcopy support by doing this: python setup.py build_ext -U WANT_BULKCOPY python setup.py install 5) The default build does not do threading any more so if you want threading enabled you will have to do this: python setup.py build_ext -D WANT_THREADS python setup.py install 6) There is some extra debugging detail for CS_DATAFMT which means you now get messages like this: >>> import Sybase >>> db = Sybase.connect('SYBASE', 'sa', '', 'pubs2') >>> db._conn.debug = 1 >>> c = db.cursor() ct_cmd_alloc(conn0, &cmd) -> CS_SUCCEED, cmd1 >>> c.callproc('sp_help', {'@objname': 'titles'}) ct_command(cmd1, CS_RPC_CMD, "sp_help", CS_NULLTERM, CS_UNUSED) -> CS_SUCCEED ct_param(cmd1, &databuf0->fmt=[name:"@objname" type:CS_CHAR_TYPE status:CS_INPUTVALUE format:CS_FMT_NULLTERM count:1 maxlength:7], databuf0->buff, 6, 0) -> CS_SUCCEED ct_send(cmd1) -> CS_SUCCEED ct_results(cmd1, &result) -> CS_SUCCEED, CS_ROW_RESULT ct_res_info(cmd1, CS_NUMDATA, &value, CS_UNUSED, NULL) -> CS_SUCCEED, 3 ct_describe(cmd1, 1, &fmt) -> CS_SUCCEED, datafmt0=[name:"Name" type:CS_CHAR_TYPE status:CS_UPDATABLE format:CS_FMT_UNUSED count:0 maxlength:30] ct_bind(cmd1, 1, &datafmt0->fmt=[name:"Name" type:CS_CHAR_TYPE status:CS_UPDATABLE format:CS_FMT_UNUSED count:1 maxlength:30], databuf1->buff, databuf1->copied, databuf1->indicator) -> CS_SUCCEED, databuf1 ct_describe(cmd1, 2, &fmt) -> CS_SUCCEED, datafmt1=[name:"Owner" type:CS_CHAR_TYPE status:48 format:CS_FMT_UNUSED count:0 maxlength:30] ct_bind(cmd1, 2, &datafmt1->fmt=[name:"Owner" type:CS_CHAR_TYPE status:48 format:CS_FMT_UNUSED count:1 maxlength:30], databuf2->buff, databuf2->copied, databuf2->indicator) -> CS_SUCCEED, databuf2 ct_describe(cmd1, 3, &fmt) -> CS_SUCCEED, datafmt2=[name:"Type" type:CS_CHAR_TYPE status:48 format:CS_FMT_UNUSED count:0 maxlength:22] ct_bind(cmd1, 3, &datafmt2->fmt=[name:"Type" type:CS_CHAR_TYPE status:48 format:CS_FMT_UNUSED count:1 maxlength:22], databuf3->buff, databuf3->copied, databuf3->indicator) -> CS_SUCCEED, databuf3 7) There is some initial work to support FreeTDS. One of the problems with FreeTDS is that it does not support inline error handling. The callback error handling works well if you do not compile for threads support, but causes problems when compiled for threading. The problem occurs when the extension module releases the global interpreter lock when calling the Sybase CT library. A Python callback causes the interpreter to be reentered by the callback which leads to bad things when the following warning from the Python include file ceval.h is violated: WARNING: NEVER NEST CALLS TO Py_BEGIN_ALLOW_THREADS AND Py_END_ALLOW_THREADS!!! At the moment the module will compile for FreeTDS (at least it does on my machine) and some things do work. All you have to do is compile like this: python setup.py build_ext -D HAVE_FREETDS python setup.py install There is no error handling and reporting for FreeTDS yet. 8) The was a minor change to setup.py for: a) Solaris. It no longer staticly links the libcomn.a Sybase library. b) Linux. No longer looks for both libsybtcl and libtcl. Now looks for libinsck. Extra Pleading: Please download the pre-release version, try it out, and then send me some mail telling me what you found. You would be surprised at how little mail I get regarding the Sybase module, I really do need your help. If more than 10 people tried the module we would all benefit... The module is available here: http://www.object-craft.com.au/projects/sybase/sybase-0.33pre3.tar.gz The module home page is here: http://www.object-craft.com.au/projects/sybase/ - Dave -- http://www.object-craft.com.au

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New "Marketing Python" mailing list
by Stephan R.A. Deibel 13 Feb '02

13 Feb '02

Hi, Over the past several years, I've noticed that the Python community tends to fail to market Python effectively to the wider software development world. Partially as a result of this, Python's potential to replace other less-productive languages remains under-appreciated by most developers. Since I'm co-founder of a company that depends in part on growth of the Python users base, I find myself needing to find better ways to sell Python the language, as well as products that are based on it. This led me to create a new mailing list for those that are interested in the generic problem of marketing Python more widely: http://wingide.com/mailman/listinfo/marketing-python I don't know if this will be fruitful but perhaps this will lead to some useful insights or mutually beneficial contact between those that want to help Python expand further into the mainstream. Cheers, - Stephan ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wing IDE for Python Archaeopteryx Software, Inc www.wingide.com Take Flight!

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ANNOUNCE: ScrumPy - Metabolic modelling in Python
by Mark Poolman 13 Feb '02

13 Feb '02

Dear Modellers, ScrumPy is a package of Python modules that allows you to do metabolic modelling. You don't need to know about Python, Programming, or Modelling or Metabolism to use it (2 out the 4 should suffice, any more and you're already a power user). Current status is 0.9.0, it is IMHO in a state capable of being useful, but I would like to hear your opininions before bumping up to 1.0. Full details here http://mudshark.brookes.ac.uk/ScrumPy Regards, Mark -- Dr. Mark Poolman Post Doctoral Researcher Metabolic Control Analysis Group Oxford Brookes University

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Vancouver Python and Zope User Group
by Andy 12 Feb '02

12 Feb '02

Announcing the first meeting of the Vancouver Python and Zope User Group (VanPyZ). A few of us Python and Zope users in Vancouver thought it would be cool to meet other users and have a general chin wag. ActiveState has kindly lent us the use of the mezzanine for the opening meeting. We'll start off with a video presented by Paul Prescod that was shown at IPC10: "Python, a love story" followed by an informal natter, then maybe a beer. And along the way we'll see if there is enough interest to do this again on a regular basis, what format it should be and all those niggly details. Date: Thursday, Feb 21st Time: 7pm Location: ActiveState, 580 Granville, Vancouver, BC (http://www.activestate.com/Contact/) Hope to see you all then and if you have any further questions give me a yell. -- Andy McKay

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ANNOUNCE: getopt-sig created
by Greg Ward 12 Feb '02

12 Feb '02

My recent proposal to add Optik to the standard library unearthed a few other interesting, competing solutions. Guido didn't want python-dev to drown in a sea of getopt-related traffic, so the getopt-sig(a)python.org mailing list has been created. The goal of the list is to determine a suitable module for high-powered command-line parsing to be included in the standard library with Python 2.3. Proposals currently on the table include: * Optik (by me; see optik.sourceforge.net) * arglist.py (by Ben Wolfson; see http://home.uchicago.edu/~wolfson/Python/arglist.py) * an unnamed, off-the-cuff implementation by Russ Cox, based on Plan 9's C macros for option parsing -- see http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2002-February/019982.html If you are interested in getting something more powerful and easier-to-use than the current getopt module into Python's standard library, please join the list: http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/getopt-sig If you just want to state an opinion (eg. "Optik rules", "Optik sucks", "Russ' idea looks good to me"), please post it to getopt-sig(a)python.org -- you don't have to join the list to do that. Anyone who has emailed me (or the optik-users list) their opinion of Optik in the past should feel free to reiterate that opinion on getopt-sig(a)python.org. Greg -- Greg Ward - just another /P(erl|ython)/ hacker gward(a)python.net http://starship.python.net/~gward/ Predestination was doomed from the start.

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ANN: PAGE - 2.2
by Don Rozenberg 12 Feb '02

12 Feb '02

What's new? ----------- Makes use of the fact that Python 2.2 has substantially improved the support of Tix and PyTix which dramatically simplifies the installation of PAGE which now uses only the standard stuff from Python 2.2. Utilizes the new WmDefaults package in Tix which provides reasonable portability of the generated GUI among several environments such as KDE on Linux and Win32. If you stick to the default fonts and colors, things will look good when trying to display the same GUI between different environments, see example 2 below. I now recommend forgetting about the TkoptionsDB. Win32 installation is now easy. I even provide an installer for Tix on Windows and a desktop icon! Cleaned up a troublesome bug having to do with indentation of class methods within the GUI and found a couple of other small things. A real live running example is included. It is the MP3 player for Linux that I am running as I am writing this. The user guide has been a bit expanded. Counting the examples it is about 10,000 words. What is PAGE? ----------- PAGE is a drag and drop tool which helps to create GUI interfaces for use with Python programs. PAGE is reminiscent of Visual Basic. It uses Tk and Tix widgets. This version runs on Linux and Win32. It supports a subset of Tk widgets and of Tix widgets. Home Page --------- http://page.sourceforge.net/ Download ---------- http://sourceforge.net/projects/page License --------- GPL <P><A HREF="http://page.sourceforge.net">PAGE 2.2</A> PAGE - A drag and drop GUI generator for Python (08-Feb-02)

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ANN: New Mailing Lists -- conferences-discuss, psf-forms-discuss
by Guido van Rossum 12 Feb '02

12 Feb '02

At the PSF member meeting last week, there was lively discussion about two (very different) topics: the future of the Python conference, and the legal terms under which contributions to Python can be redistributed by the PSF. It was decided to create two open mailing lists to continue these valuable discussions, and hopefully come to concrete recommendations. I hereby invite everyone who considers themselves part of the Python community and wants their voice to be heard to sign up for either list. A brief description of the lists: conferences-discuss: http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/conferences-discuss This list is intended for discussion of the future of the Python conference. Python10 was a big success, but behind the scenes there have been a lot of grumblings, and several alternatives have been proposed, e.g. a dirt cheap conference like Yet Another Perl Conference (held at a university, registration under $100, sleep in dorm rooms at $25/night), and/or moving in with the O'Reilly Open Source Conference (more expensive but also much larger and varied than past Python conferences). Serious consideration should be given to doing both. On this list we'll try to agree on what to do and who will do it. Because of the lead time for organizing a conference, hope is that we'll reach agreement in the first few months of 2002 on how, where and when to hold Python11 in 2003. psf-forms-discuss(a)python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/psf-forms-discuss This is a short-lived discussion list set up to provide a forum for agreeing on PSF contributor's forms and procedures. Its charter lasts only until 15-Apr-2002. --Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)

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RFC: Option Parsing Libraries
by Paul Prescod 11 Feb '02

11 Feb '02

Greg Ward has proposed to add his Optik module to the Python library. * http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2002-February/019934.html Optik is a parser for command line options with the features described here: * http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2002-February/019937.html If you have a competitive library, or suggestions for changes to Optik, please forward your comments to python-dev mailing list (python-dev(a)python.org). If a long-running conversation ensues, you may need to join the list to participate. Discussions in comp.lang.python will not be considered unless you at least forward a reference to python-dev. If you propose a competitor to Optik, please describe how it compares to the feature list described above. Paul Prescod

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[ANN] Article: Installing Python on he.net servers.
by Scott Schram 10 Feb '02

10 Feb '02

Hurricane Electric (he.net) is an Internet Service Provider (ISP) providing inexpensive web space with shell and full programming environment access. Python is not preinstalled. This article explains how to install and test it. http://schram.net/articles/python/pythonhe.html Also, an older article about controlling the Eudora email client with Python. http://schram.net/articles/python/eudora.html ------------------------ http://schram.net

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[ANN] gfsql: A simple SQL-Editor
by walter.spiegel＠web.de 10 Feb '02

10 Feb '02

gfsql is a simple SQL-Editor based on gfplus (by J. Berliner) and gadfly (by A. Watters) with a Tk-style interface. gfsql needs Python 2.0 and is tested under Linux and Windows '98/NT. The interface is in german, but there is an english configuration mode. More Documentation for gfsql (in german!) is located at * http://wspiegel.bei.t-online.de/gfsql/index.html Download: * http://wspiegel.bei.t-online.de/gfsql/gfsql.zip Walter Spiegel walter.spiegel(a)web.de

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