[Tutor] Where best to start? First program to: login, read from and close a serial line?

[Bill Gillespie]

Hi Folks,

I was very happy to find this resource. I'm a new guy and am just
starting to learn to do some simple programming, and Python is my first
"real programming" language. It's very exciting!

My first programming project: 
At work we have a "floor and oil temperature control system". I would
like to build a simple GUI, allowing us to interrogate, display and
change these two values: 

1) OIL set point 
2) FLOOR set point


The Tkinter (GUI) part looks learnable - but I don't know where to
start in terms of 

--> logging into a remote machine 
          (in Xterm from a Linux machine - to a sun os machine)

  --> opening a serial line on it
          (I normally just type "tip oftc" to connect <oil floor and   
        temp cont>)

   --> interrogating the embedded device on it,
          (two seperate commands ask for current - or order a change)  

    --> and then logging out again.
          ($. closes the connection) then I log out of the machine)

Any advice on the general idea of what should take place will be most
welcome. 

Thanks much,

Bill



  

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