🌐 Mailman 3 August 2000 - Python-list - python.org

[6th Draft] Open Letter to CNRI: Request for clarification
by Peter Schneider-Kamp Aug. 1, 2000

Aug. 1, 2000

PREFACE: Anyone can sign this open letter. This is not only for hardcore coders and Python developers, but for every Python user/addict out there. - more signatures - minor editing --- begin open letter ------------------------------------------------- To: Dr. Robert E. Kahn <rkahn(a)cnri.reston.va.us>, (president of The Corporation for National Research Initiatives) Dear Dr. Kahn, Many people in the Python community have concerns about the license issues that have popped up around the new 1.6/2.0 releases. The following attached signatures represent people from the Python community who would like some clarification regarding the future of the Python language. To date, there has been no official statement from your institution regarding the new Python license. We are especially interested in the overall intent of this change. So we request a plain-English, non-legalese statement regarding the purpose of that change and the ways in which it affects Python's use. Kind regards, Peter Schneider-Kamp --- end open letter ---------------------------------------------------- --- begin signature list ----------------------------------------------- Martijn Faassen [m.faassen(a)vet.uu.nl] Stuart Ford (Programmer/Analyst E.H. Boeckh Corporation) Jay Graves Magnus Lie Hetland (Ph.D. student Computer Science) Konrad Hinsen (Centre de Biophysique Moleculaire CNRS) Michael Hudson (maths grad student, Python developer) [mwh(a)python.net] Aahz Maruch [aahz(a)pobox.com] Gareth McCaughan David Mertz (author of a Python column for IBM developerworks) Edward Jason Riedy Will Ware Thomas Weholt Thomas Wouters (Systems Architect, Python developer) Moshe Zadka (mathematician, Python developer) [moshez(a)math.huji.ac.il] --- end signature list ------------------------------------------------- Please add/change/remove your signatures. Feedback as always strongly appreciated. or-should-I-send-the-1st-draft-<wink>-ly y'rs Peter -- Peter Schneider-Kamp ++47-7388-7331 Herman Krags veg 51-11 mailto:peter@schneider-kamp.de N-7050 Trondheim http://schneider-kamp.de

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to close or not to close?
by Grant Griffin Aug. 1, 2000

Aug. 1, 2000

Hi Gang, Forgive me if this is a FAQ, but is it considered good Python form to close a file whose variable is just about to go out of scope (and thus be automatically closed)? Or should one just omit that? tempted-to-omit-needless-code-ly y'rs, =g2 _____________________________________________________________________ Grant R. Griffin g2(a)dspguru.com Publisher of dspGuru http://www.dspguru.com Iowegian International Corporation http://www.iowegian.com

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Making wrapper/c module question
by Aaron Berg Aug. 1, 2000

Aug. 1, 2000

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Yet another Tkinter question
by Daley, Mark W Aug. 1, 2000

Aug. 1, 2000

OK, maybe there is something I'm missing, but I have a Scrollbar that is misbehaving. Here is the code snippet: t = Text(root, height = 7, width = 38) scroll = Scrollbar(root, command = t.yview) t.configure(yscrollcommand = scroll.set) t.grid(row = 6, column = 0, rowspan = 3, sticky = W) scroll.grid(row = 6, column = 0, rowspan = 2, sticky = E) When I do this, the scrollbar won't span over multiple rows. If I change the rowspan value, it changes the scrollbar's position relative to the top of the window, as if I changed the row value. Does anyone know anything about this? - Mark ---------------------------------------------- The opinions expressed are mine, and are not necessarily those of my employer.

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Scripting the GIMP with Python
by Phil Jordan Aug. 1, 2000

Aug. 1, 2000

hello I am using GIMP 1.04, Python 1.5.2 on a linux-box. I tried everything possible to make python-gimp (0.5) work with GIMP. I am sure that Pygtk works: I can run the exemple on some web-page to get "hello world" widget. So, I missed something when compiling GIMP ; I tried to pass the --enable-python argument to ./configure, no success, no Python-Fu in database. Can someone please help me in testing to understand where is my mistake ? ./configure --enable-python # is this right ? make make install Thank You very much for any help Jordan Phil jordan(a)dial.eunet,ch

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Are tcl extensions loadable under python.
by m. ranganathan Aug. 1, 2000

Aug. 1, 2000

Hello! I am a newcomer to the python community, so excuse me if this is an obvious question. I'd like to be able to utilize some tcl extensions in my application. In general, can I load arbitrary tcl extensions from python and expect them to work correctly? Thank you in advance. Ranga.

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Perl is worse! (was: Python is Wierd!)
by Jonathan Aug. 1, 2000

Aug. 1, 2000

Just finished putting down the 'Learning Python' book and tried some of the examples. Somehow i happened to have the itch of grabbing my 'Programming PERL' book and browse through it again to have a comparison(it was a long time since i last used PERL, after i picked up PHP). Looking at the Modules, Packages and Classes chapter, and - oh my god - the whole thing now looks like a mess! I don't think i will ever bother using PERL again (unless it's a 5-10 lines kind of thing). Python's syntax now seem much 'cleaner' and intuitive. But then i guess you all shld have known this by now:) But the irony now is that ZOPE will be 'opened' to PERL too. I have read through the 'debates' going on in the zope mailing list, but it still doesn't make sense - why allow Zope to be polluted by something that is clearly deficient? It's like allowing people to use sand instead of cement to build a house. (I haven't mastered Zope yet, so i will restrain from commenting any further) regards, jonathan Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

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Re: file2lines
by François Pinard Aug. 1, 2000

Aug. 1, 2000

[Miki Tebeka] > Is there a standard function that does something like this? > def file2lines(file_name): > lines = [] > try: > fp = open(file_name) > lines = fp.readlines() > fp.close() > except: > pass # ignore errors > return lines > And then you can just: > for line in file2lines('myfile'): > some_interesting_function(line) I always write directly: for line in open('myfile').readlines(): some_interesting_function(line) You can bury this within a `try...except' clause, of course, but I think better to not blindly hide all errors, in general. If you stick to CPython features, you'll get shorter, cleaner code! A consequence of this is that you have a big gain in legibility (in my opinion). -- François Pinard http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~pinard

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Re: to close or not to close?
by François Pinard Aug. 1, 2000

Aug. 1, 2000

[Tim Peters] > [...] CPython happens to use reference-counting to reclaim dead objects, > so in CPython destruction happens[...] immediately upon the loss of > the last reference. [...] But, so far, CPython is the only Python > implementation that enjoys this behavior. JPython does not, John > Skaller's Vyper does not, and AFAIK the MS-based Python .NET will not. That's why CPython allows for a writing style which I find both much cleaner and clearer than with other implementations, in my opinion. If I could not rely on this, I would have the feeling of loosing a very good thing. It would be sad if Python was loosing this feature, and it is definitely sad that the language specification left it undefined. Maybe it was some kind of Guido's pre-calculated, perverse way to ensure CPython stays a superior implementation (by allowing for the laziness of other implementors)? :-) :-) -- François Pinard http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~pinard

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Re: The State of Python
by François Pinard Aug. 1, 2000

Aug. 1, 2000

[Tim Peters] > Lawyers and paranoia form a positive feedback loop. This would be worth becoming a `fortune' cookie! :-) -- François Pinard http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~pinard

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