[Tutor] omit some keys from dict

[Erik Price]

On Sunday, February 10, 2002, at 04:59  PM, Danny Yoo wrote:

> Not to say that they aren't --- many of the standard library modules are
> in Python, just as we'd expect.  For example, the StringIO module is 
> pure
> Python, and the source code is available in a StringIO.py file in the
> library.  It's useful to know that we can easily read most of the 
> library
> modules to see how they're constructed.

What is the definition of "Library" in this case?  Is it just "the 
collective body of Python modules"?  Or is something more specific 
implied by it?  Does it refer to the Standard Library of Python modules 
that ships with all Python Dists?  I have Python 2.2, if that matters.

> The problem about these extension modules is that the C API evolves with
> Python, and this likely breaks compatibility.

I see this acronym all the time, but I'm not terribly sure of what it 
is:  API.  If I'm not mistaken, IDE is like a program that allows you to 
code more easily than plaintext file editing (Integrated Development 
Environment), and API means "application programming interface" or 
something like that.  How is an API different from an IDE?

A very basic question but I keep seeing it when I go to the bookstore 
and read books about Python.  To think that I have already been coding 
in PHP for a little while and still don't know what it means.


Erik

PS:   And while we're on the subject of IDEs, is IDLE available for Mac 
OS X in Aqua (not X11)?  I haven't seen anything about it but then maybe 
I just didn't look hard enough.