Python-URL! - weekly Python news and links (Jul 30)

Mon Jul 30 12:33:10 EDT 2007

QOTW:  "If you really want to learn hard-core Python, probably your best bet
is:
    * read everything Tim Peters has ever written in comp.lang.python
     (this will take a few months), start with "import this"
    * read everything the PyPy guys have ever written (particularly
      Christian and Armin)
    * read and try to beat the more exotic recipes in the Python cookbook
    * read the papers from the various PyCons on metaclasses and the
      like, build a couple of dozen metaclasses and descriptors." - Mike C.
Fletcher

"Why would you want to become a programmer?  Programmers smell bad, they have
no social life, they get treated like crap by everyone.  They can get paid
pretty well but then they spend all the money on useless electronic junk so
they still live like bums.  There is only one reason to be a programmer,
which is that the drive to program burns in you like a fire.  But in that
case don't ask how to become a programmer, because you are already one, so
welcome to the ranks ;-)." - Paul Rubin

    Moving from .net to Python: How to implement Events
    and Delegates (Observer pattern)
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/c6808e6362996834/

    How to efficiently access the first, second, etc. lines of a text file
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/800e92738e0a23b/

    Borrowing from the D language: 123 456 789 == 123456789, and
    other suggestions.
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/93dc57f9190b93bc/

    Ways to write an "is_iterable" function, and why there can't
    be an universal version:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/c37eea080073729f/

    Using ClientForm and mechanize to automate web form submissions
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/d544e5a719692775/

    Started as: Where do they teach Python officially?,
    later discussing what's good for a programmer to know:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/fafd2b5042ab2453/

    math.pow(3,50)!=3**50 -or- Don't use floating point exponentiation
    when you actually want an integer operation
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/b2155e82b23e1bea/

    Closures/Blocks in Python: what is good Ruby code
    style is not necesarily good for Python.
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/7e3ee98e03731ecb/

    How get "next month's" name: the orthodox ways, and a
    tricky one by Carsten Haese:
        http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/1baa0d207ca55662/

========================================================================
Everything Python-related 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
    marvelous daily python url
         http://www.pythonware.com/daily
    Mygale is a news-gathering webcrawler that specializes in (new)
    World-Wide Web articles related to Python.
         http://www.awaretek.com/nowak/mygale.html
    While cosmetically similar, Mygale and the Daily Python-URL
    are utterly different in their technologies and generally in
    their results.

    Just beginning with Python?  This page is a great place to start:
	http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide/Programmers

    The Python Papers aims to publish "the efforts of Python enthusiats":
	http://pythonpapers.org/
    The Python Magazine is a technical monthly devoted to Python:
	http://pythonmagazine.com

    Readers have recommended the "Planet" sites:
	http://planetpython.org
	http://planet.python.org

    comp.lang.python.announce announces new Python software.  Be
    sure to scan this newsgroup weekly.
        http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_ugroup=comp.lang.python.announce

    Python411 indexes "podcasts ... to help people learn Python ..."
    Updates appear more-than-weekly:
        http://www.awaretek.com/python/index.html

    Steve Bethard continues the marvelous tradition early borne by
    Andrew Kuchling, Michael Hudson, Brett Cannon, Tony Meyer, and Tim
    Lesher of intelligently summarizing action on the python-dev mailing
    list once every other week.
	http://www.python.org/dev/summary/

    The Python Package Index catalogues packages.
        http://www.python.org/pypi/

    The somewhat older Vaults of Parnassus ambitiously collects references
    to all sorts of 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/

    Python Success Stories--from air-traffic control to on-line
    match-making--can inspire you or decision-makers to whom you're
    subject with a vision of what the language makes practical.
        http://www.pythonology.com/success

    The Python Software Foundation (PSF) has replaced the Python
    Consortium as an independent nexus of activity.  It has official
    responsibility for Python's development and maintenance.
        http://www.python.org/psf/
    Among the ways you can support PSF is with a donation.
        http://www.python.org/psf/donate.html

    Kurt B. Kaiser publishes a weekly report on faults and patches.
        http://www.google.com/groups?as_usubject=weekly%20python%20patch

    Although unmaintained since 2002, the Cetus collection of Python
    hyperlinks retains a few gems.
        http://www.cetus-links.org/oo_python.html

    Python FAQTS
        http://python.faqts.com/

    The Cookbook is a collaborative effort to capture useful and
    interesting recipes.
	http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python

    Many Python conferences around the world are in preparation.
    Watch this space for links to them.

    Among several Python-oriented RSS/RDF feeds available are
	http://www.python.org/channews.rdf
	http://bootleg-rss.g-blog.net/pythonware_com_daily.pcgi
	http://python.de/backend.php
    For more, see
	http://www.syndic8.com/feedlist.php?ShowMatch=python&ShowStatus=all
    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://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0042/

    The online Python Journal is posted at pythonjournal.cognizor.com.
    editor at pythonjournal.com and editor at pythonjournal.cognizor.com
    welcome submission of material that helps people's understanding
    of Python use, and offer Web presentation of your work.

    del.icio.us presents an intriguing approach to reference commentary.
    It already aggregates quite a bit of Python intelligence.
        http://del.icio.us/tag/python

    *Py: the Journal of the Python Language*
        http://www.pyzine.com

    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.*

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