Error confusing a newbie

[Keith Dart]

On Fri, 10 Dec 1999, Wayne Topa wrote:

> 
> Hello
> 
>   I seem to have run into an error that I can't figure out.  I have
> written a python program to replace a somewhat unintelligable perl
> script I wrote about a year ago.  The python replacement (improvement)
> is 1/4 the size and I can understand it!
> 
>   The problem is that when run with #> python net_time.py  it works
> and does what I want.  But - see below.
> 
> mtntop:~# ls -l net_time.py
> -rwxr-xr-x   1 root     root          835 Dec 10 09:52 net_time.py
> 
> mtntop:~# python net_time.py
> 
> Current Totals
> 013 Hours   0 Minutes  42 Seconds
> 
> mtntop:~# net_time.py
> import: Unable to connect to X server () [No such file or directory].
> from: can't read /var/spool/mail/DateTime.
> ./net_time.py: line 7: syntax error near unexpected token `open(''
> ./net_time.py: line 7: `input = open('/var/log/totalppp', 'r')'

Your script is definitely being interpreted by a command shell, and not
the python interpreter. Why this is happening is hard to tell from the
information given. In any case, that is not really a python
problem.  

I notice you are invoking the script without a "./". That is, as
"net_time.py", and not "./net_time.py", implying that you have a "." in
your PATH. True? Further, your prompt indicates you are running as root. A
word of warning: having a "." in root's path is a big security risk.

Perhaps you have another net_time.py script that is in your PATH?


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Keith Dart 
<mailto:kdart at techie.com>
<http://www.employees.org/~kdart/>
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