Mastering Python

[Aahz]

Re: Mastering Python

In article <yxMKh.8126$M65 .601@newssvr21. news.prodigy.ne t>,
John Nagle <nagle@animats. comwrote:

>Alex Martelli wrote:

>Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.net com.comwrote:

>>>
>>>Mastery and quickly are opposing terms <GTook me 15 years on a job
>>>using FORTRAN 77 and I still wouldn't have called myself a master. (I'm
>>>more of a JoAT)

>>
>My favorite "Stars!" PRT, mind you -- but when some language interests
>me enough, I do tend to "master" it... guess it's correlated with what
>Brooks saw as the ideal "language lawyer" in his "surgical team"
>approach, an intrinsic fascination with bunches of interconnected rules.

>
Python just isn't that complicated. The syntax is straightforward ,
>and the semantics are similar to most other dynamic object-oriented
>languages. If you know Perl or Smalltalk or LISP or JavaScript, Python
>does about what you'd expect.

Yes and no. At the time I learned Python, I was a Perl expert (but not
a master), and I had a bunch of other languages under my belt (including
Fortran, Pascal, C, Ada). Nevertheless, for the first month of Python,
I found that I kept having problems because I tried to make Python fit
the mold of other languages rather than accepting it on its own terms.

(Admittedly, part of my problem was that I was learning Python under
duress -- I saw no reason to learn Yet Another Scripting Language.)

Then there are all the little odd corners of Python that stand in the
way of true mastery, like what happens with refcounts and exception
tracebacks.
--
Aahz (aahz@pythoncra ft.com) <* http://www.pythoncraft.com/

"Typing is cheap. Thinking is expensive." --Roy Smith

[Paul McGuire]

Re: Mastering Python

On Mar 16, 9:27 am, "BartlebyScrive ner" <rpdool...@gmai l.comwrote:

On Mar 16, 8:39 am, "Paul McGuire" <p...@austin.rr .comwrote:
>
>
>

Wow, are you still reading? Quit wasting time and go download a
Python dist and get started already!

>
I think you should extract that and spend twenty minutes tidying it up
and then publish it to the Python for Programmers page or make it a
downloadable .pdf.
>

http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide/Programmers

>
rd
>
"The chief contribution of Protestantism to human thought is its
massive proof that God is a bore."
>
--H.L. Mencken

I've added it to this page, see the last entry. Hope some find it
entertaining, if not informative.

-- Paul

[Ben Finney]

Re: Mastering Python

"Paul McGuire" <ptmcg@austin.r r.comwrites:

On Mar 16, 9:27 am, "BartlebyScrive ner" <rpdool...@gmai l.comwrote:

I think you should extract that and spend twenty minutes tidying
it up and then publish it to the Python for Programmers page or
make it a downloadable .pdf.

http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide/Programmers

>
I've added it to [the above wiki page], see the last entry.

I missed this the first time around. Thanks for letting us know you'd
done this.

Hope some find it entertaining, if not informative.

It looks like a great get-started guide for the many C++ refugees I
hope we can gain :-)

--
\ "Why, I'd horse-whip you if I had a horse." -- Groucho Marx |
`\ |
_o__) |
Ben Finney

[Bruno Desthuilliers]

Re: Mastering Python

Paul McGuire a écrit :
(snip)

- Don't forget the ()'s. To invoke a method on an object, you must
include the parens. This wont do anything:
a = "some string"
a = a.lower

It will actually do something: rebind name 'a' to the method lower() of
the string previously binded to 'a'

(snip)

[Michael Bentley]

Re: Mastering Python

>>

For future reference, and I hope you don't mind the lesson, the past
tense of "bind" is "bound" (I can't state it as a firm rule, but many
*ind words seem to go *ound: bind, find, wind [as in wrap, not blowing
in the...], grind -bound, found, wound [not to confuse with an
injury], ground [not to confuse with dirt]... But mind -minded <G>)
>

blind -blound # couldn't resist yet another counterexample ;-)

[cga2000]

Re: Mastering Python

On Sun, Mar 18, 2007 at 09:38:52PM EST, Paul McGuire wrote:

On Mar 16, 9:27 am, "BartlebyScrive ner" <rpdool...@gmai l.comwrote:

On Mar 16, 8:39 am, "Paul McGuire" <p...@austin.rr .comwrote:

Wow, are you still reading? Quit wasting time and go download a
Python dist and get started already!

I think you should extract that and spend twenty minutes tidying it up
and then publish it to the Python for Programmers page or make it a
downloadable .pdf.

http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide/Programmers

rd

"The chief contribution of Protestantism to human thought is its
massive proof that God is a bore."

--H.L. Mencken

>
I've added it to this page, see the last entry. Hope some find it
entertaining, if not informative.

Nice job.

Thanks,
cga

[Bruno Desthuilliers]

Re: Mastering Python

Dennis Lee Bieber a écrit :

On Wed, 21 Mar 2007 21:40:51 +0100, Bruno Desthuilliers
<bdesth.quelque chose@free.quel quepart.frdecla imed the following in
comp.lang.pytho n:
>

>It will actually do something: rebind name 'a' to the method lower() of
>the string previously binded to 'a'
>>

For future reference, and I hope you don't mind the lesson,

I don't.

the past
tense of "bind" is "bound"

err... I knew that, of course.

[Hendrik van Rooyen]

Re: Mastering Python

"Bruno Desthuilliers" <bruno.42.desth uilliers@wtf.we b...uro.oops.co mwrote:

>Dennis Lee Bieber a écrit :

>On Wed, 21 Mar 2007 21:40:51 +0100, Bruno Desthuilliers
><bdesth.quelqu echose@free.que lquepart.frdecl aimed the following in
>comp.lang.pyth on:

>>>

>For future reference, and I hope you don't mind the lesson,

>I don't.

>the past
>tense of "bind" is "bound"

>err... I knew that, of course.

If one were to apply Dennis' ..ind to ..ound rule in reverse,
then the present tense of the verb "hound"
will be "hind" - bound to be..

English is such a a marvellously logical, consistent language.

For instance, there is a disease of the lungs called phthisis,
which is pronounced something like: "tie-sis"...

Pretty obvious of course, as is the pronounciation of the
name: "Cholmondel y"

- Hendrik

[Hendrik van Rooyen]

Re: Mastering Python

"Dennis Lee Bieber" <wl....d@ix.net com.comwrote:

On Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:55:20 +0200, "Hendrik van Rooyen"
<m...l@mi...orp .co.zadeclaimed the following in comp.lang.pytho n:

Pretty obvious of course, as is the pronounciation of the
name: "Cholmondel y"

Is that a scottish "Ch" (as in LoCH Lomond), plain hard "Ch" (as in
CHristmas) or a soft "Ch" (as in CHicken)?

It comes out something like "Chum-lee", with the ch like chicken...

(that's what I have heard - but who knows - It may have been
a regional dialect, a case of the blind leading the blind, or
someone pulling the piss..)

- Hendrik

[Steve Holden]

Re: Mastering Python

Hendrik van Rooyen wrote:

"Dennis Lee Bieber" <wl....d@ix.net com.comwrote:
>
>

>On Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:55:20 +0200, "Hendrik van Rooyen"
><m...l@mi...or p.co.zadeclaime d the following in comp.lang.pytho n:

>

>>Pretty obvious of course, as is the pronounciation of the
>>name: "Cholmondel y"
>>>

>Is that a scottish "Ch" (as in LoCH Lomond), plain hard "Ch" (as in
>CHristmas) or a soft "Ch" (as in CHicken)?

>
It comes out something like "Chum-lee", with the ch like chicken...
>
(that's what I have heard - but who knows - It may have been
a regional dialect, a case of the blind leading the blind, or
someone pulling the piss..)
>

You have been correctly informed. It's one of the least intuitive names
in the English language.

regards
Steve
--
Steve Holden +44 150 684 7255 +1 800 494 3119
Holden Web LLC/Ltd http://www.holdenweb.com
Skype: holdenweb http://del.icio.us/steve.holden
Recent Ramblings http://holdenweb.blogspot.com

[DarkBlue]

Re: Mastering Python

Before we get to far away from the original question...
as you have may have noticed you reached one of the best user
groups on the net , where help from the top gurus and best minds in
the python universe is only a question away.
Go for it, you are in good hands.

Db

[Hendrik van Rooyen]

Re: Mastering Python (OT)

"Steve Holden" <ste..e@ho....e b.com wrote:

Hendrik van Rooyen wrote:

It comes out something like "Chum-lee", with the ch like chicken...

(that's what I have heard - but who knows - It may have been
a regional dialect, a case of the blind leading the blind, or
someone pulling the piss..)

You have been correctly informed. It's one of the least intuitive names
in the English language.

Oh No! - don't tell me there is worse - this is already enough to drive
a saint to drink!

I will have to move to "Hants"...

: - )

- Hendrik

[Steve Holden]

Re: Mastering Python (OT)

Hendrik van Rooyen wrote:

"Steve Holden" <ste..e@ho....e b.com wrote:
>
>

>Hendrik van Rooyen wrote:

>

>>It comes out something like "Chum-lee", with the ch like chicken...
>>>
>>(that's what I have heard - but who knows - It may have been
>>a regional dialect, a case of the blind leading the blind, or
>>someone pulling the piss..)
>>>

>You have been correctly informed. It's one of the least intuitive names
>in the English language.

>
Oh No! - don't tell me there is worse - this is already enough to drive
a saint to drink!
>
I will have to move to "Hants"...
>

Speaking of which, here's a limerick To read it you need to know not
only that Hampshire is colloquially know as Hants, but also that
Salisbury's ancient Roman name is Sarum.

There once was a young man of Salisbury
Whose manners were most halisbury-scalisbury
He visited Hampshire
Without any pampshire
Till somebody told him to walisbury.

try-running-a-spell-checker-on-that-ly y'rs - steve
--
Steve Holden +44 150 684 7255 +1 800 494 3119
Holden Web LLC/Ltd http://www.holdenweb.com
Skype: holdenweb http://del.icio.us/steve.holden
Recent Ramblings http://holdenweb.blogspot.com

[Tim Golden]

Re: Mastering Python (OT)

Steve Holden wrote:

Speaking of which, here's a limerick To read it you need to know not
only that Hampshire is colloquially know as Hants, but also that
Salisbury's ancient Roman name is Sarum.
>
There once was a young man of Salisbury
Whose manners were most halisbury-scalisbury
He visited Hampshire
Without any pampshire
Till somebody told him to walisbury.

Not to mention the meaning (or at least existence)
of the phrase harum-scarum and the pronounciation
of Sarum and the possible wordplay inherent in...

.... oh well, you know what I mean!

I had a laugh, anyway. Thanks, Steve.

TJG

[Hendrik van Rooyen]

Re: Mastering Python (OT)


"Steve Holden" <s...ve@h...eb. comwrote:

Speaking of which, here's a limerick To read it you need to know not
only that Hampshire is colloquially know as Hants, but also that
Salisbury's ancient Roman name is Sarum.
>
There once was a young man of Salisbury
Whose manners were most halisbury-scalisbury
He visited Hampshire
Without any pampshire
Till somebody told him to walisbury.
>
try-running-a-spell-checker-on-that-ly y'rs - steve

Nice one! - Thanks Steve

- Hendrik