🌐 Mailman 3 May 2006 - Python-list - python.org

Dr. Dobb's Python-URL! - weekly Python news and links (May 30)
by Cameron Laird May 31, 2006

May 31, 2006

QOTW: "Making a user class work anywhere you can put a mapping in Perl is deep magic, but easy in Python. Creating types that act like files and can be used wherever a file is used is SOP in Python; I'm not even sure it's possible in Perl (probably is, but it's again deep magic)." - Mike Meyer "... I don't bother with classes unless I'm going to end up with multiple instances (or I'm pushed into a corner ..." - Dan Sommers Over TWO DOZEN Python-based projects have been accepted for the 2006 Summer of Code: http://wiki.python.org/moin/SummerOfCode While waiting for more polished summaries from the Iceland Sprint, admire a few of the incidental photographs: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/pyneedforspeed/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/30842681@N00/ John Machin and others stride throught the periods of sequences: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/msg/74c81885d7dd4b0e http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/msg/b9d10df764bdd3df Under-invested desiderata: documentation, regression tests, marketing, serenity, and, as Steve Holden recently discovered, *benchmarks*: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/msg/903d5ba9745bad5b Fuzzyman advertises yet another convenience of Movable Python: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/msg/35baaa3af891c12f Gonzalo Monzon and others discuss the circumstances of Pyrex applicability: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/b051c5… Zlatko Matic, Gerard Flanagan, and others work out C# invocations for launching an out-of-process Python application: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/b051c5… Computing stuff is categorically hard because of the combinatorics and scales which arise naturally. Grant Edwards details a true-life example, which happened to be about numeric interpolation, of how problems ("debugging") are dramatically superlinear: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/msg/9a78b5d34db196b4 ======================================================================== Everything Python-related you want is probably one or two clicks away in these pages: Python.org's Python Language Website is the traditional center of Pythonia http://www.python.org Notice especially the master FAQ http://www.python.org/doc/FAQ.html PythonWare complements the digest you're reading with the marvelous daily python url http://www.pythonware.com/daily Mygale is a news-gathering webcrawler that specializes in (new) World-Wide Web articles related to Python. http://www.awaretek.com/nowak/mygale.html While cosmetically similar, Mygale and the Daily Python-URL are utterly different in their technologies and generally in their results. For far, FAR more Python reading than any one mind should absorb, much of it quite interesting, several pages index much of the universe of Pybloggers. http://lowlife.jp/cgi-bin/moin.cgi/PythonProgrammersWeblog http://www.planetpython.org/ http://mechanicalcat.net/pyblagg.html comp.lang.python.announce announces new Python software. Be sure to scan this newsgroup weekly. http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_ugroup=comp.lang.python.announce Python411 indexes "podcasts ... to help people learn Python ..." Updates appear more-than-weekly: http://www.awaretek.com/python/index.html Steve Bethard, Tim Lesher, and Tony Meyer continue the marvelous tradition early borne by Andrew Kuchling, Michael Hudson and Brett Cannon of intelligently summarizing action on the python-dev mailing list once every other week. http://www.python.org/dev/summary/ The Python Package Index catalogues packages. http://www.python.org/pypi/ The somewhat older Vaults of Parnassus ambitiously collects references to all sorts of Python resources. http://www.vex.net/~x/parnassus/ Much of Python's real work takes place on Special-Interest Group mailing lists http://www.python.org/sigs/ Python Success Stories--from air-traffic control to on-line match-making--can inspire you or decision-makers to whom you're subject with a vision of what the language makes practical. http://www.pythonology.com/success The Python Software Foundation (PSF) has replaced the Python Consortium as an independent nexus of activity. It has official responsibility for Python's development and maintenance. http://www.python.org/psf/ Among the ways you can support PSF is with a donation. http://www.python.org/psf/donate.html Kurt B. Kaiser publishes a weekly report on faults and patches. http://www.google.com/groups?as_usubject=weekly%20python%20patch Although unmaintained since 2002, the Cetus collection of Python hyperlinks retains a few gems. http://www.cetus-links.org/oo_python.html Python FAQTS http://python.faqts.com/ The Cookbook is a collaborative effort to capture useful and interesting recipes. http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python Among several Python-oriented RSS/RDF feeds available are http://www.python.org/channews.rdf http://bootleg-rss.g-blog.net/pythonware_com_daily.pcgi http://python.de/backend.php For more, see http://www.syndic8.com/feedlist.php?ShowMatch=python&ShowStatus=all The old Python "To-Do List" now lives principally in a SourceForge reincarnation. http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=355470&group_id=5470&func=browse http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0042/ The online Python Journal is posted at pythonjournal.cognizor.com. editor(a)pythonjournal.com and editor(a)pythonjournal.cognizor.com welcome submission of material that helps people's understanding of Python use, and offer Web presentation of your work. del.icio.us presents an intriguing approach to reference commentary. It already aggregates quite a bit of Python intelligence. http://del.icio.us/tag/python *Py: the Journal of the Python Language* http://www.pyzine.com Archive probing tricks of the trade: http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_ugroup=comp.lang.python&num=100 http://groups.google.com/groups?meta=site%3Dgroups%26group%3Dcomp.lang.pyth… Previous - (U)se the (R)esource, (L)uke! - messages are listed here: http://www.ddj.com/topic/python/ (requires subscription) http://groups-beta.google.com/groups?q=python-url+group:comp.lang.python*&s… http://purl.org/thecliff/python/url.html (dormant) or http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_q=+Python-URL!&as_ugroup=comp.lan… There is *not* an RSS for "Python-URL!"--at least not yet. Arguments for and against are occasionally entertained. Suggestions/corrections for next week's posting are always welcome. E-mail to <Python-URL(a)phaseit.net> should get through. To receive a new issue of this posting in e-mail each Monday morning (approximately), ask <claird(a)phaseit.net> to subscribe. Mention "Python-URL!". -- The Python-URL! Team-- Dr. Dobb's Journal (http://www.ddj.com) is pleased to participate in and sponsor the "Python-URL!" project.

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problem with google api / xml
by robin May 31, 2006

May 31, 2006

hello, i installed SOAPpy 0.12.0 and pyXML 0.8.4 in order to try out the google-search example in diveintopython http://diveintopython.org/soap_web_services/index.html however, i'v been trying and trying and won't get it to work :-( whenever i run this code, i get the attached exception... from SOAPpy import WSDL WSDLFILE = '/pathtomy/googleapi/GoogleSearch.wsdl' APIKEY = '....' _server = WSDL.Proxy(WSDLFILE) any help would be very much appreciated! thanks in advance, robin Traceback (most recent call last): File "<stdin>", line 1, in ? File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.4/lib/python2.4/site-packages/SOAPpy/WSDL.py", line 67, in __init__ self.wsdl = reader.loadFromString(str(wsdlsource)) File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.4/lib/python2.4/site-packages/SOAPpy/wstools/WSDLTools.py", line 47, in loadFromString return self.loadFromStream(StringIO(data)) File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.4/lib/python2.4/site-packages/SOAPpy/wstools/WSDLTools.py", line 28, in loadFromStream document = DOM.loadDocument(stream) File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.4/lib/python2.4/site-packages/SOAPpy/wstools/Utility.py", line 602, in loadDocument return xml.dom.minidom.parse(data) File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.4/lib/python2.4/site-packages/_xmlplus/dom/minidom.py", line 1915, in parse return expatbuilder.parse(file) File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.4/lib/python2.4/site-packages/_xmlplus/dom/expatbuilder.py", line 930, in parse result = builder.parseFile(file) File "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.4/lib/python2.4/site-packages/_xmlplus/dom/expatbuilder.py", line 207, in parseFile parser.Parse(buffer, 0) xml.parsers.expat.ExpatError: not well-formed (invalid token): line 1, column 0

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Are ActivePython scripts compatible with Linux?
by A.M May 31, 2006

May 31, 2006

Hi, I am planning to develop python applications on windows and run them on Linux. Are ActivePython scripts compatible with Linux? Is there any guideline that explains the compatibility issues between python in different platforms? What would be the best approach for what I am trying to do? Any help would be appreciated, Alan

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python to NQC converter?
by Brian Blais May 31, 2006

May 31, 2006

Hello, I was wondering if anyone has written a converter between python code and NQC (http://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/nqc/) used for programming LEGO Mindstorms? I am thinking that a small modification to Pyrex might be used, but I am not sure how to proceed with something like that. I was thinking that 90% of it could be done by converting indentation to {}, cdef int X to int X declarations at the top, and other simple text-replace features. Brian Blais -- ----------------- bblais(a)bryant.edu http://web.bryant.edu/~bblais

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Re: Oracle Data Access in Python
by A.M May 31, 2006

May 31, 2006

"Bill Scherer" <bill.scherer(a)verizonwireless.com> wrote in message news:mailman.6375.1149096323.27775.python-list@python.org... > A.M wrote: > >> Hi, >> >> >> >> I am familiar with Perl's DBI programming. >> >> >> >> In Python, do we access to Oracle by using DBI? >> > No. > >> Is Oracle DBD driver included with Python distributions? >> > No. > >> What is the most common strategy for accessing to Oracle data through >> Python? >> > cx_Oracle seems to be the leading module for Oracle access today. It works > well. > > http://www.cxtools.net/default.aspx?nav=cxorlb > > > You'll need the apropriate Oracle client installed for it to work, of > course. Oracle's "Instant Client" is probably the easiest way to get what > you need for that. > > > Hope that helps, > > Bill Thanks Bill for help. I also learned about DCOracle2 at this page: http://www.python.org/doc/topics/database/modules/ What do you think about DCOracle2? It seems to be based on Python Database API Specification. Thanks again, Ali

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Re: ideas for programs?
by Thomas Bartkus May 31, 2006

May 31, 2006

"Brandon McGinty" <brandon.mcginty(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:mailman.6346.1149051733.27775.python-list@python.org... > Hi, > I've been learning python for the past couple of months and writing misc > scripts here and there, along with some web apps. > I'm wondering if anyone has ideas of programs I might try my hand at making? > I'd appreciate it if they don't use images, because I'm blind. > > Also, I'm thinking of hiring myself out as a free-lance programmer. Python is your tool to put your expertise on a computer. Skill with Python, or any computer language for that matter, counts for little. Expertise that you can code into a computer program however, counts for much. No matter what the language you use to accomplish computer automation. > Are there many individuals/companies which would aprove programs written > in python? Don't even ask that question. It's irrelevant. Companies approve programs that solve company problems! Does anyone care what Excel, Quickbooks, Autocad, Turbo Tax, MySQL, whatever, are written in? No! Automate something useful! A bookeeping problem. Or a computer networking problem. OR a chemistry, cooking, gardening, truck routing, record keeping, music problem. What about new ways a computer might make life easier for the handicapped? Or old ways done better. How do the blind communicate with a computer? I see nothing but software opportunites yet undone. Python plus expertise in something else. It's the something else that hangs people up. You need to have or acquire that something else. I can't write a bookeeping program if I don't understand bookeeping and my Python abilities offer no relief from that particular deficiency. > Most adds I've seen require the programmer have a strong grasp of c++ or > java. Those ads are worthless! They are put forth by people with meaningless jobs in human resources and no understanding of what one might do with computer software. Hobbies? Interests? Expertise? What inspires you that might be put into computer code? You can't sell a program because it's written in Python. But you can sell a Python program that solves a problem. Find a problem and beat it with software. The particular language you choose to use has nothing to do with it! But we do like Python ;-) Thomas Bartkus

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Re: Oracle Data Access in Python
by Bill Scherer May 31, 2006

May 31, 2006

A.M wrote: > Hi, > > > > I am familiar with Perl's DBI programming. > > > > In Python, do we access to Oracle by using DBI? > No. > Is Oracle DBD driver included with Python distributions? > No. > What is the most common strategy for accessing to Oracle data through > Python? > cx_Oracle seems to be the leading module for Oracle access today. It works well. http://www.cxtools.net/default.aspx?nav=cxorlb You'll need the apropriate Oracle client installed for it to work, of course. Oracle's "Instant Client" is probably the easiest way to get what you need for that. Hope that helps, Bill

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Re: iterator? way of generating all possible combinations?
by akameswaran＠gmail.com May 31, 2006

May 31, 2006

Well thanks for the mathematical restatement of my problem. I had forgotten the proper terms. Searching on those terms generates some interesting results. However, none of the algo's I have checked will work with generated sequences, or iterable classes, as posited in my first post. While appropriate to the current domain, ie dice. What if you want combinations of extrememely large lists, say 3 sets of 10 mil items. In such a case, I really do want my sets to be generators rather than lists or set objects. This is what had me stumped before, and still has me stumped.

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Oracle Data Access in Python
by A.M May 31, 2006

May 31, 2006

Hi, I am familiar with Perl's DBI programming. In Python, do we access to Oracle by using DBI? Is Oracle DBD driver included with Python distributions? What is the most common strategy for accessing to Oracle data through Python? Any help would be appreciated, Alan

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Re: ideas for programs?
by akameswaran＠gmail.com May 31, 2006

May 31, 2006

I have always found it easiest to scratch a personal itch when learning a new language. One of the first things I wrote was a shopping list program for my wife. It was a pretty good way to start learning the lay of the python libraries - it needed a small object database, a gui (tk, although I far prefer wx at this point), and I generated HTML pages for printing out the lists. Good architecture? no. good to learn the lay of the land yes. Ask your friends/family - everybody has one thing they wish the computer would do. Not only will you learn python, but you'll help your friends. As far as employment. I come from a java background, and that seems the only language I can pay the bills with:). Particularly in the US - paid python jobs are hard to come by. I have been able to scrape some side income doing zope/plone development for small businesses in the area wanting to create a web presence - ok so it's only a little bit of python and bunch of TAL/DTML. If you want to make money with python skills, I would recommend learning a python based web/app server, ie (Zope, cheetah, twisted) and look for small businesses needing websites. They frequently could care less about implementation choices, and it sounds like you have some experience in that field.

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