🌐 Mailman 3 - Pythonmac-SIG - python.org

Some ideas for Mac Python
by Guido van Rossum Jan. 31, 1996

Jan. 31, 1996

Here are some areas where I think MacPython can use some improvement. 1) CFM-68K support. This is shared libraries, PPC style, for the 68K. I just received CodeWarrior 8 which (again) claims improved CFM-68K support. Perhaps it will work this time? It would be really great to be able to use Python applets on the 68K Mac (yes, I've still got one -- I had to pay for it myself, see :-) It would also be really useful to be able to e.g. import stdio, Tk or the Mac toolkit modules ("bgen" stuff) dynamically. 2) GUSI support. This is the Grand Unified Socket Interface, a third-party partial replacement for the standard C library that lets you use select() and socket() C function. This shouldn't be hard -- in fact I've already built an experimental version of it that does exactly this. (Too bad it requires "#include "GUSI.h" everywhere.) 3) Tk. OK, I'm supposed to be working on this, but I got sidetracked and decided to wait for the promised 4.1a3 release. Actually, some of the following ideas were inspired by my attempts to get Tk working by embedding Python in Tk instead of vice versa :-) 4) Configure some Mac specific hacks dynamically (at run-time) instead of through #ifdefs. This will make embedding easier. I'm thinking of three things in particular: a) Program argument processing. I believe this is currently in a file that also contains some other stuff that's always needed; but when I'm embedding Python in another app, the arguments will be passed in totally different. b) Event checking. There is some code that normally checks for Command-period (turning it into a KeyboardInterrupt exception) but which can be disabled; it can optionally also check for other events, passing them to SIOUX (the CodeWarrior stdio window) or stdwin or elsewhere. I think this should probably be done in such a way that even in order to enable Command-period checking the main program would have to register some kind of callback (even though the callback function could be part of the standard library). (Of course this interface should still be accessible from Python code, so Framework.py can take care of its own needs.) c) Standard I/O window. I would like to make it possible that an embedding app can completely disable to console window (essentially all writes to the C level stdout/stderr would yield write errors (or be ignored?) and all reads from stdin would raise EOFError). The app can them use some Python code that substitutes something else for sys.stdout etc. so that it is redirected to a window that it manages for itself. This would be useful for Tk, for instance (Tk dies when you click in the SIOUX window, but it would be easy to connect the console to a Tk text widget). Also, the default action when the program exits should be controllable by the embedding app. (Note that I see the "stand-alone" Python interpreter as just another app that embeds Python...) 5) Preferences. Still not as smooth as could be. I guess that the run-time options that can currently only be set by hitting Option while Python is being launched should also be taken care of by a preferences panel. --Guido van Rossum <guido(a)CNRI.Reston.VA.US> URL: <http://www.python.org/~guido/> ================= PYTHONMAC-SIG - SIG on Python for the Apple Macintosh send messages to: pythonmac-sig(a)python.org administrivia to: pythonmac-sig-request(a)python.org =================

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What are people doing with Mac Python?
by guzdial＠cc.gatech.edu Jan. 30, 1996

Jan. 30, 1996

I'm curious what people are doing with Mac Python. I've been using it for two projects: (1) To analyze log files (recordings of UI events) for experiments, and (2) To create databases of pedagogical knowledge (about Smalltalk) for use in generating HTML pages. We're considering using Python for a project where we'd actually be more Mac-ish: Running QuickTime movies and sending AppleEvents, as the back-end of a multimedia sort-of-intelligent-tutor. Mark -------------------------- Mark Guzdial : Georgia Tech : College of Computing : Atlanta, GA 30332-0280 (404) 894-5618 : Fax (404) 894-0673 : guzdial(a)cc.gatech.edu http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/people/Faculty/Mark.Guzdial.html ================= PYTHONMAC-SIG - SIG on Python for the Apple Macintosh send messages to: pythonmac-sig(a)python.org administrivia to: pythonmac-sig-request(a)python.org =================

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Using temporary memory for python
by Jack Jansen Jan. 30, 1996

Jan. 30, 1996

Well, now that the pythonmac SIG has been created let's start it off with a question. Does anyone have any experiences with using temporary memory? Currently, python (using its own malloc()) allocates memory from the application heap, but it is possible to allocate so-called "temporary memory", which lives on the system heap. The advantage of using this for Python would be that the 'SIZE' of Python application heap could be a lot smaller, and that python can allocate as much memory as is available in the system currently. Moreover, it wouldn't use the memory if it didn't actually need it. However, before I implement this (it seems not to be too difficult) I'd like of any drawbacks... -- Jack Jansen | ++++ stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal ++++ Jack.Jansen(a)cwi.nl | ++++ if you agree copy these lines to your sig ++++ http://www.cwi.nl/~jack | see http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/sigaction.htm ================= PYTHONMAC-SIG - SIG on Python for the Apple Macintosh send messages to: pythonmac-sig(a)python.org administrivia to: pythonmac-sig-request(a)python.org =================

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None
by Guido van Rossum Jan. 29, 1996

Jan. 29, 1996

subscribe guido(a)python.org -- Jack Jansen | ++++ stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal ++++ Jack.Jansen(a)cwi.nl | ++++ if you agree copy these lines to your sig ++++ http://www.cwi.nl/~jack | see http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/sigaction.htm ================= PYTHONMAC-SIG - SIG on Python for the Apple Macintosh send messages to: pythonmac-sig(a)python.org administrivia to: pythonmac-sig-request(a)python.org =================

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