Python Newbie
Gene Heskett
gheskett at wdtv.com
Sat Feb 23 12:32:28 EST 2013
On Saturday 23 February 2013 12:03:00 Ethan Furman did opine:
> On 02/23/2013 07:51 AM, Chris Angelico wrote:
> > Steve, why do you say you're not a developer? A score of languages
> > under your belt, choosing to write code in your spare time, and
> > speaking competently on the comparative merits of different languages
> > and why you made the decision you made - sounds like you're every bit
> > a coder. Don't run yourself down so! :)
>
> +1
I'll add another +1 to that. My /main/ coding expertise, such as it is, is
in assembly on the 6x09 cpu's. Sure, I've done stuff in C, and in Basic09,
but when I sit down to do a serious bit of code for that platform that
doesn't need fancy trig functions, I do it in assembly. Why? The closer I
can get to the hardware, the fewer surprises I find. I can handle input
errors for every possible error just by testing for legal input, and if not
legal, branch to output a help screen to the dummy that cannot type. Often
me. :) Quick stuff that does require some math gets done in basic09 which
is good to about 8-9 digits, or calculating the next eclipse, based on
julian dates, gets done in C where I have doubles and 17 digit floats
available.
And I have quite a few bash scripts, often running as background daemons,
that greatly simplicate my daily activities. KMail for instance, doesn't
have to take 2 minute timeouts while it fetches new mail is one of them. So
my email is a matter of tapping the + key for the next message, replying if
I want to & clicking send. Everything else is automatic. Ditto if I am
working on the old machine & need a printout, I just send the text file
from the assembler to device /p, and 15 seconds later a laser printer on
that desk fires up and spits out my listing at 22 ppm. /p actually feeds a
ser-usb adapter, its output is captured on this machine, sent to cups for
rendering & sent back down the same cable to the printer also plugged into
that usb hub. To me there is zero point in having to stop & look up the
command line syntax to drive lp with a 100 character command line when
except for the filename to print, it never changes. Put it in a bash
script that doesn't make typu's.
So I am a programmer in that sense, just not at the level of abstraction
that python has to offer.
I am here because I was hoping some knowledge leakage would help me to
understand python, but at my age I am beginning to have to admit the level
of abstraction is something I may never fully grok. If I ever find a
python book that literally starts at square one, it _will_ come home with
me though.
But I have too many hobbies too, I have a BP rifle that needs a trip to the
range this afternoon for some exercise. :)
Cheers, Gene
--
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