[Pythonmac-SIG] My stab at a new page

[Rodney Somerstein]

At 1:39 PM -0800 2/9/06, Bill Janssen wrote:
>Great idea, Rodney.  I think we probably need a number of pages like
>this, kind of an FAQ set.  I think the main page should just cover one
>or two things (how to run python, how to upgrade), and lots of
>pointers to these pages.  Each of these should be fairly clear, with
>pointers off to more complicated explanations.
>
>Here's the start of a list:
>
>1)  What's the difference between "python" and "pythonw"?
>2)  What's the advantage of upgrading?
>3)  What do I do if I want to use pre-built packages?
>4)  How do I use the Apple GUI toolkit from Python?
>5)  How do I use Apple Events from Python?
>6)  How do I build a real Mac application written in Python?
>7)  How do I install extra modules, like PIL, for the system Python?
>8)  What IDE's are available, and what are their relative merits?

Bill,

You seem to have a good handle on what is needed to get new users 
involved in working with Python on the Mac. Even some of the 
questions that you list here might be a little too complex for new 
users. For example, question 3 probably needs to state something 
about all of the pre-built packages that are available before asking 
how to use them. Question 6 needs to at least talk about what is 
involved if the user wants this application to run on multiple 
platforms, not just Mac. For example, can they build on the Mac and 
the distribute on other platforms? Or do you have to build on each 
platform?

It is likely that your idea of pointing to more complicated 
explanations could take care of each of kind of points that I'm 
raising. My key idea that I'm trying to point out is that for such a 
list to be useful to beginners, it needs to not make so many 
assumptions about what they know. An introductory paragraph in each 
question can help out quite a bit. For example, is it actually safe 
to assume that a new user even knows what the Apple GUI toolkit is? A 
sentence or two talking about the great UI functionality that Apple 
makes available and that it can be accessed from Python should be 
there before launching into an explanation of how to actually do so. 
Remember, this should serve people who haven't programmed before as 
well as people who have but are just new to Python.

-Rodney