[python-advocacy] Checking In with the Community...

[Jeff Rush]

Greetings.  It's been quiet on this list - I guess everyone is getting back to 
work after the holidays or speakers/instructors are preparing for PyCon.

As some of you know, we're trying to develop a library of flyers, whitepapers 
and web blurbs on various aspects of Python, as well as encourage the 
community to write articles for magazines.  You can review the lists of what's 
needed at:

  - http://wiki.python.org/moin/AdvocacyWritingTasks
  - http://wiki.python.org/moin/ArticleIdeas

I'd like to thank Demian for writing the reStructuredText document "About 
Python, for the Java Programmer", for use on the advocacy website.  He wrapped 
it up back in December, doing a great job.  You can read it at:

   http://advocacy.python.org/docs/python-vs-java.3600.en.1

I think it might need a 'features comparison' chart, even for several of the 
common languages to which Python gets compared, if anyone wants to tackle that.

Some of the pending writing assignments that people have volunteered for are:

"Python for C/C++ Programmers" Joshua Simpson
"Python and Databases" Greg Lindstrom
"Python: Data Visualization and Graphing" Bugra Cakir
"How to Start and Run a Successful Python User Group" Jeff Rush
"How to Start and Run a Successful Python Conference" Andrew Kuchling

There obviously is a bit of a problem there, as several of those people are 
involved in PyCon activities. ;-)  But I hope we can crank these out soon and 
get them available for others to critique and distribute.

We could use someone with graphics layout talent, to produce flyers.  Some of 
the flyers needed are:

  - (flyer) What is Python?
  - (flyer) There is more to life; there is Python (for college campuses)
  - (flyer) Have Fun Programming (Again!)

and then there are unassigned writing tasks:

  - (whitepaper) Using Python to improve Java
  - (whitepaper) Using Python to improve .NET
  - (whitepaper) Python: Your Competitive Advantage
  - (whitepaper) Scientific Computing with Python
  - (whitepaper) The Python Alternative to Matlab
  - (whitepaper) Cool Programming Features of Python
  - (reST) About Python, for the Ruby Programmer
  - (reST) Choosing Between Ruby and Python
  - (whitepaper) Python in the Classroom
  - (whitepaper) Game Development with Python
  - (whitepaper) The Speedy Python
  - (whitepaper) Linking Python with your Code

Even if you don't have time to take on an entire paper, your input in creating 
an outline of what to cover would be very welcome.  On the 
AdvocacyWritingTasks wiki page, there is a link from each title to a wiki page 
on which to scribble an outline or even just notes.  Consider helping by 
jotting down some ideas for someone else to run with.

----
If you're not the literate-writing type, we also need help in completing the 
remaining 15% of Python-equivalent recipes (and review the existing 85% for 
being current with Python 2.5) of the Programming Language Examples Alike 
Cookbook (http://pleac.sourceforge.net/), a side-by-side comparison of 
algorithms in different programming languages based on the Perl Cookbook.

----
Recently _The Python Papers_ asked for our help, both in feedback and article 
submissions.  I posted some feedback here on the list but I'm sure they would 
appreciate additional viewpoints - and perhaps even a short article or two. 
Hey, it'd be much less writing than a whitepaper!

-Jeff