Python-URL! - weekly Python news and links (Jan 27)

QOTW: "Whatever sufficiently sophisticated topic was ... initially discussed it ends all up in a request for removing reference counting and the GIL." - Kay Schluehr http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/msg/6a152ff76cf313ff Looking for a different kind of (editor|environment|interfase) like TextCalc for Python: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/195ebd77f9e191e2/ Inheritance, encapsulation, and hungarian notation: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/e6fc603109b42b62/ True, False, None, and the "==" and "is" operators: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/21cc0e59bb59c7f1/ Mixing True/False and ints can confuse: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/3185626fca2feb9b/ A short (but very interesting) essay on names, expressions, variables, and binding, by Mark Wooding: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/3efb017e757bf3d9/ Using the struct module to handle variable-sized data types: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/de5d94ffd953eaba/ Experienced Pythonistas give advice on improving programming skills: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/4929f2681088730d/ Kaspersky mentions Python as vector for handset infection: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/22/symbian_trojan/ Running Python code on the client side from a web app: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/e8131fc8a29db75c/ A new Counter class (similar to bag/multiset in other languages) was added to the collections module: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/debefb159cd0752d/ The longest thread until now, started previous week. Now discussing enforced data hiding and the Scada language, team management, and who knows what (I gave up!) http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/68bc54bca830c46/ Another very long thread: RPython and PyPy advantages, the GIL, concurrency issues on modern CPU architectures, and removing the GIL (again!): http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/t/d8f15fad0638bca/ ======================================================================== 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 Just beginning with Python? This page is a great place to start: http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide/Programmers The Python Papers aims to publish "the efforts of Python enthusiats": http://pythonpapers.org/ The Python Magazine is a technical monthly devoted to Python: http://pythonmagazine.com Readers have recommended the "Planet" sites: http://planetpython.org http://planet.python.org comp.lang.python.announce announces new Python software. Be sure to scan this newsgroup weekly. http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python.announce/topics Python411 indexes "podcasts ... to help people learn Python ..." Updates appear more-than-weekly: http://www.awaretek.com/python/index.html 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/donations/ The Summary of Python Tracker Issues is an automatically generated report summarizing new bugs, closed ones, and patch submissions. http://search.gmane.org/?author=status%40bugs.python.org&group=gmane.comp.python.devel&sort=date 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://code.activestate.com/recipes/langs/python/ Many Python conferences around the world are in preparation. Watch this space for links to them. Among several Python-oriented RSS/RDF feeds available, see: http://www.python.org/channews.rdf 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/ 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 Dr.Dobb's Portal is another source of Python news and articles: http://www.ddj.com/TechSearch/searchResults.jhtml?queryText=python and Python articles regularly appear at IBM DeveloperWorks: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/search/searchResults.jsp?searchSite=dW&searchScope=dW&encodedQuery=python&rankprofile=8 Previous - (U)se the (R)esource, (L)uke! - messages are listed here: http://search.gmane.org/?query=python+URL+weekly+news+links&group=gmane.comp.python.general&sort=date http://groups.google.com/groups/search?q=Python-URL!+group%3Acomp.lang.python&start=0&scoring=d& http://lwn.net/Search/DoSearch?words=python-url&ctype3=yes&cat_25=yes 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. 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